The Wanderer
by Ardikani4
Summary: Banished for something beyond her control and left to wander alone through the endless reaches of space for untold millennia, now she is called to return. The Wanderer is weary and ready to come home, but what home is it she is returning to?
1. Return From Exile

Deep in the distant cosmos, beyond the reach of even the most advanced human technology, she waited. A hot breeze was blowing on a barren planet void of life, sending small dustdevils swirling across the desolate landscape as the wind hissed quietly through her armor.

Moving with stunning grace for a creature her size, she paced silently across the dead earth before pausing and sitting down, her tail curling around her huge paws as her cobalt blue optics dimmed slightly in thought. The wind increased suddenly, howling across the desert as small rocks pinged off her thick bronze armor. She barely took notice, merely digging her massive black claws into the dirt beneath her paws for a slightly better grip until the wind calmed once more.

Raising a huge forepaw, she lightly scratched at an itch on her muzzle, her lethal claws gleaming dully under a forsaken, dying sun before she lowered her paw to the ground again.

_I wonder…how many millennia has it been since I was sent away…_ She wondered, turning her brilliant cobalt blue optics up to stare at a blood-red sky.

_How long has it been since I was forced to turn my back on them all?_ Getting back to her feet in a single, effortless movement, she began walking again, the endless line of huge pawprints behind her slowly being wiped away by the desert wind, leaving no evidence that anything had ever walked there.

_How long have I been a wanderer?_ Her head was fully raised, and she held herself with absolute confidence and pride despite the fact that there was no one around to judge her now.

_How long have I been alone, without even a friend to return to, or a place to call home?_ Her optics stayed trained on the sky, ever watchful, always searching as memories of the 'Bots she used to know flowed through her processor like a never-ending story.

_How long have I been forsaken?_ Sinking deep into memories of dear friends and better days, she kept walking, until a ping in her processor made her pause with one paw still in midair.

_And what would this be?_ She wondered, lowering her paw as her optics dimmed slightly while she identified what had caused the ping.

_A communication burst? From where? Cybertron has been gone since long before this planet was even formed…_ Wondering to herself, she accepted the transmission, astonishment curling through her spark as she heard a voice that was both achingly familiar and easily recognizable.

_Optimus Prime…_ She listened intently for the next thirty or so seconds, waiting for the transmission to end before she slowly sat down, thinking very, very hard.

_Was I even meant to receive this message, or was it just an open burst meant to reach any 'Bot left online in the farthest reaches of space?_ Shaking her head slightly, knowing she didn't have those answers, she got back to her feet, pausing for just a moment to raise her optics to the sky once more.

_No matter. If Optimus sent that message with no set recipients, then it must mean he needs every 'Bot he can get. I must go there…to Earth. I must._ Dropping into a crouch, she tensed all the cables in her frame until they creaked, they were so tight, then launched herself into the air and transformed.

She blasted off with enough force to leave a small crater in the surface of the planet, and as she howled through the atmosphere and into space, she opened a channel and sent out a broadcast of her own.

::Message received and acknowledged, Optimus Prime. I am on my way.::

* * *

><p>A Few Days Later…<p>

It was early. Early enough that the sun had not yet risen and the sky was still dark. The peace and silence of the morning was something that Will Lennox had always loved, even moreso during his time in the military.

Standing on the front porch of his house, overlooking the base that the United States military shared and jointly operated with Optimus Prime and his Autobots, Will took in a deep breath, closing his hazel eyes and sighing in content as the cool air filled his lungs.

_Not very often that I can find the time to just sit and enjoy the day, even in the mornings,_ he thought as he opened his eyes, scanning the dark streets out of habit before a slight movement off to one side caught his attention.

Turning his head slightly, he looked over, unable to keep a slight smirk from crossing his rugged face as Autobot Sideswipe, in bi-ped mode, quietly poked his head over a bush a couple houses down before moving almost silently across the street to duck down behind a car.

_Amazing that a metal robot over twenty feet tall can move that quietly,_ Will thought before a soft hiss reached his ears. Returning his eyes to the front, he watched as the black GMC Topkick parked in his driveway dropped down on its axles slightly, as if it had seen Sideswipe sneaking around as well.

"You see him, Ironhide?" Will spoke softly, knowing from bitter experience just how good Cybertronian hearing was as the Topkick huffed slightly before responding.

"Of course, Will. He thinks he's a sneaky slagger but I've been doing this a few more millennia than he has." Ironhide responded just as softly, both the mech and the human knowing that Sideswipe hadn't heard them. Will chuckled softly, still watching Sideswipe's approach from the corner of one eye before he spoke again.

"Don't hit him too hard, 'Hide. I don't think the rest of the neighborhood is awake yet." Sensing that Sideswipe had just come into hearing range, Will fell silent as the Topkick stilled as well, raising his eyes to the sky as the silver mech approached with a huge grin slapped on his face plates.

Will couldn't help but turn his gaze to the mech, barely able to suppress a grin himself as Sideswipe looked at him and put a metal finger to his mouth plate in an exaggerated request that the human stay quiet. He nodded, watching with amusement glinting in his hazel eyes as Sideswipe inched closer and closer to Ironhide, unable to fathom what the mech had planned for his guardian before the black mech sprang into action.

Ironhide could transform astonishingly fast for a mech his size, and before Sideswipe could process what was happening, the black mech had already whipped out and charged his massive cannons. The silver mech found himself staring down the barrels of both of Ironhide's cannons, his blue optics so wide that Will nearly fell down laughing as the other mech rumbled at him.

"And what brings you to this part of the base at such an early hour, Sideswipe? I would swear that your quarters are in the main berthing area with the majority of the other Autobots." Ironhide's deep voice seemed to shock the silver mech back to his senses. Backing up swiftly, Sideswipe almost tripped over a car and fell flat on his aft before dropping down into his alternate mode and racing away.

Ironhide deactivated his cannons before flipping them back into subspace as Will laughed quietly, still mindful of his sleeping neighbors as his guardian's ice blue optics landed on him for a moment before the mech dropped back into his alternate mode as well. The soldier was about to raise his eyes back to the sky when he sensed a sudden tension emanating from Ironhide.

"Ironhide? Something wrong?" Will asked, watching the mech curiously as he shifted back and forth on his tires uneasily for several seconds before the driver's side door suddenly shot open.

"Come along, Will. We need to go see Optimus." The black mech rumbled as the human came down the stairs and hopped into the cab. The door shut softly and the seatbelt came across Will's chest and buckled before Ironhide backed out of the driveway and drove quickly down the street.

"What's up, 'Hide? Optimus never calls this early unless it's an emergency." Will said, staring at the dash expectantly as the mech hopped a curb and went offroad through an open field to reach the part of the base where the Autobots conducted the majority of their operations.

"Optimus didn't call, Will. I just received a transmission that needs to be brought to his attention immediately." His guardian stated, his voice echoing from the speakers in the cab as they hit pavement again, rolling up to the berthing hangar before Ironhide rolled to a stop to let Will hop out. Once the human was clear, the black mech transformed in a swirl of alloys and moving parts, his ice blue optics glowing brightly in the predawn darkness as he stepped forward and opened the door. Will followed behind the mech, his eyes adjusting to the dim lighting inside that revealed an astonishing sight that few humans had ever seen.

All of the mechs and femmes on base that didn't have a sparkmate were situated in one main berthing area, each of them sprawled out on tall metal berths in bi-ped mode as they recharged peacefully. Ironhide silently made his way between berths, Will following quickly, before reaching a door in the back of the room and opening it. Both went through, ending up in a long, well-lit corridor with doors on both sides. The mechs and femmes in this area had sparkmates or were high ranking Autobots, therefore affording them their own quarters away from the rest of the 'Bots.

Moving without pause, Ironhide made his way down the corridor before stopping at a door and rapping his knuckles against it. Will stopped a few feet away as Ironhide knelt down and picked him up before rising back to his full height as the door hissed open.

Even after years of knowing this 'Bot, Will still felt the air leave his chest in awe at the sight of the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime. Towering over Ironhide by several feet, there was no 'Bot living that was more impressive than Optimus. His optics were slightly dimmed from being roused from recharge, but on seeing the serious look on Ironhide's face plates, Optimus waved him inside, taking note of Will's presence as he greeted them both.

"Ironhide, Will. What brings you here at this hour? Has something happened?" Prime asked, waving Ironhide towards a massive Autobot sized couch in the middle of the main area before he faced them both head on. Ironhide chose to stay on his feet, facing his leader before he replied.

"Prime, you may want to check your message queue. There was a transmission that came in about ten minutes ago that requires your immediate attention." The black mech said, both him and Will waiting quietly as Optimus's optics dimmed again and he looked up the message Ironhide had mentioned.

As Optimus continued with his search, Will looked up at Ironhide, asking a question that the mech still hadn't really answered for him.

"Ironhide, what is going on?" Twitching slightly, the mech focused his optics on his human charge, but before he could answer, a quiet intake of air from Optimus drew both of their attention.

Seeing the look on his leader's face, Ironhide's optics darkened slightly before he took a step closer to Optimus and spoke again.

"Is she not still forbidden from associating with us, Optimus? Or has something changed since she was sent away all those millennia ago?" The black mech asked, confusing Will even further as Optimus vented sharply before replying.

"Honestly Ironhide, I had no idea she was still online. She just disappeared after the order came down from the council. I remember that the Decepticons were searching for her rather vigorously after the war broke out…we were as well. With her rather…unique skills, she would make a great ally for either side. But the 'Cons never found her, nor did we…I just assumed she was either out of reach or entirely beyond redemption. I see now that my assumptions were wrong…" His voice trailed away as a thoughtful light filled his dark blue optics. Ironhide stiffened, and Will felt it, before he spoke again.

"Optimus…surely you aren't considering allowing her to return. We have sparklings here now, and the humans as well. She would be a danger to them all." Optimus looked at Ironhide so sharply that the black mech stepped back before the red and blue mech spoke again.

"That was a very long time ago, Ironhide. As it stands, the grounds on which she was exiled were shaky at best, and she was only sent away in a vain attempt to keep war from breaking out. Remember, I was on the council that sent her away. I voted against her exile. What happened was beyond her control, as we later found out. One of the very first Decepticons, Shockwave, as it happens, had managed to upload a virus into her processor that made her lose control of herself, but she came back to her senses before causing too much harm. It was only because of which mech she killed that she was exiled." When Optimus stopped speaking, Will could tell that Ironhide hadn't known most of the story of whatever femme it was they were talking about.

"Still, Optimus…if she lost control once, even for something that was Decepticon interference, isn't it possible that she'll lose herself again, if she hasn't already?" Ironhide put forth cautiously. He and Will both watched the expressions that crossed through Optimus's optics before the massive mech spoke again, his tone echoing with a finality that made Ironhide's shoulders drop.

"I have already given her clearance to come here once she reaches Earth, Ironhide. I guess we shall see."

* * *

><p>She had made good time on her journey. She was perhaps one human day from reaching the planet called Earth when another ping hit her processor. Noting that the message was from Optimus Prime, she accepted it, unable to ignore the joy that flowed through her spark when she heard the contents.<p>

::Transmission received. You are clear to land upon arrival. Welcome home, Warrior Star.::

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So. My plot bunnies completely failed me on picking back up on the original storyline for In The Past...they did manage to crap out a few good new ideas (after gnawing on my brain cells for the last week).**

**I do hope that this 'new' story of Warrior Star and the Autobots, as well as Cairistona's OC Aurion Blaze, will be as well received as my tale of Barricade and Kelsey Rivers was. I may or may not bring them back...I'll have to see where the plot bunnies lead me.**

**Where In The Past was before, now The Wanderer will be in its place. Enjoy, dear readers. As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	2. A New Home

Warrior Star had reached Earth, and she studied the blue and green planet curiously as she input a set of landing coordinates that Optimus had sent in another data burst. She zeroed in on the coordinates, coming through the atmosphere in a shower of flame and sparks as her landing pod shuddered under the strain. She wasn't concerned; Cybertronian landing pods were built to take a beating. A few seconds later, her proximity sensors beeped a warning.

_Brace for impact,_ she thought.

Even with the warning to brace, Warrior Star still felt her dentals slam together when her pod hit the ground. She vented harshly as the pod tumbled several times before bouncing off some sturdy object and slamming to a halt.

_Ouch. Not my best landing…_ She thought as the landing pod broke apart and fell away around her. She rose to her feet, cautiously stepping out and putting a paw on the Earth's surface for the very first time.

Instantly, she looked at the dirt beneath her paws, finding herself amazed by how soft and fertile it was.

_Such a rich and beautiful planet,_ she thought as she raised her cobalt blue optics to the brightest, clearest sky she had ever seen. She could feel her spark lifting in her chest, spinning rapidly out of joy and excitement.

_Is this…really my new home?_

* * *

><p>After hearing what he had heard about the still unidentified femme, Will had insisted on going with the 'Bot assigned to retrieve the new arrival. Optimus actually had a closed session with his most trusted Autobots to determine if any of them were even willing to voluntarily retrieve the femme, or if he would actually have to order one to go get her. Over an hour later, the 'Bots finally emerged, and a rather nervous looking Hound approached Will.<p>

"Colonel Lennox, Optimus has informed me that you are going to be accompanying me to retrieve our…new femme." The human raised an eyebrow at Hound's tone as the mech transformed into his alternate mode, popping open the passenger side door for Will once he was finished. The soldier hopped in, unable to keep from asking a curious question as he did so.

"Hound, did you volunteer for this assignment or were you told to retrieve the new Autobot?" The silence that greeted his question was answer enough as Hound quietly closed the door while Will buckled his seatbelt. Hound pulled away and headed for the main gate, and he and Will began their journey in silence.

* * *

><p>Warrior Star had spent some time snooping around but had stayed close to her landing site, knowing that Optimus was sending the retrieval team to those coordinates. She had hacked the World Wide Web while she was exploring, and was currently examining geographical studies and information on the Earth. The more she saw of the planet, even in pictures, the more she liked it.<p>

_Wide open, rolling prairies, mountains that reach for the skies, oceans that stretch as far as the optic can see and beyond…this is a beautiful place._ She thought as she checked some pictures of the Rocky Mountains, her spark spinning in excitement as she studied them.

Another ping echoed through her processor, indicating another data burst, so she paused in her studies to listen carefully to the contents of the transmission.

_So, Hound has been sent to retrieve me…I never did interact with him much. Always off exploring, he was. Optimus says that I also need to find an alternate mode…hmm…_ Turning her attention back to the internet, Warrior Star pulled up several archives of different vehicle makes and models that she could choose from for her new alternate mode.

_Primus…this could take awhile…_ She sat down, studying her results critically as she eliminated some choices just due to the size requirement on the vehicle. Some were just too small for her frame, and others were far too big. She didn't like the look of the sedan type vehicles, and found that she was not a fan of the heavier SUVs.

_I want to look good, even if these…humans…have no idea what I really am…_ She thought, then she stumbled across a vehicle that instantly caught her attention. She smiled slightly to herself as she uploaded the vehicle's manufacturing specifications before tweaking them slightly and transforming.

_Hmm…I like it._ She thought as she rolled forward a few feet, getting used to the feel of tires instead of her legs and paws before she began driving in circles, liking her new alternate mode the more she played with it. She froze suddenly when her proximity sensors sent a warning flashing through her processor, indicating the presence of another Cybertronian. She spun in the direction the signal was coming from, her defense routines activating and coming fully online.

_Please, let it be Hound…_

* * *

><p>Hound and Will had made good time, reaching the landing site not long after Optimus had informed them that the femme had landed safely. The mech slowed as they approached the coordinates, and Will could tell that he was very uneasy, nearly bordering on fear. The soldier reached forward, patting the dash gently as he spoke as calmly as possible.<p>

"Easy Hound…let's just find our girl and get on home, eh?" The human's touch and the soothing tone of his voice made the mech relax slightly, then they came over a small rise, finding themselves staring down at a long furrow in the dirt that led to a massive crater.

Hound halted, allowing Will to hop out before he transformed, both of them making their way down into the crater to look for signs indicating where the 'Bot had gone.

"Well Hound, where is she?" Will asked as the mech knelt to examine a massive pawprint in the soft dirt.

"She's nearby, Will. Probably just checking the surroundings…" When Hound's voice trailed off, Will looked up at him, instantly noticing the frozen tension in the mech's frame. Will followed Hound's gaze, turning around to see what the mech was staring at. The human froze as well when he saw what had caught Hound's attention.

Sitting on the opposing rise, almost like it was staring down at the two of them, was a Ford F-150 Raptor edition. The big truck's engine rumbled almost menacingly as its bronze paint gleamed under the bright sunlight.

Will's mouth hung open, his mind blank as he stared wide-eyed at the impressive vehicle. Behind him, Hound came to his senses long enough to say one thing.

"Warrior Star."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: For those readers of mine that read of Warrior Star in the previous version of this story, or even in At What Cost or Dark and Stormy Night Challenge, you have most likely noticed that I changed a couple things on her...first off, her alternate mode is no longer a Chevy Tahoe (still love that vehicle, just like the image of the F-150 Raptor for her better) and she's now a bronze color instead of blue. Might end up tweaking the color a little more...not sure yet.**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	3. Remembering

Hound was tense, and he was afraid. Will knew this. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. The both of them were still staring at the bronze Raptor, which hadn't moved at all, even in reaction to Hound's voice.

"So the mysterious femme has a name." Will said, mostly to try and break the tension that had settled around the three of them. Upon seeing the ripple of tension that went through the femme's frame when he spoke, he couldn't help but wonder if he had just made the whole situation worse. Hound stepped closer to the human in a subconscious defensive reaction to Warrior Star's sudden tension, and then he spoke to her tersely.

"Follow me. I will lead you back to base." She didn't move, nor did she reply, so Hound transformed into his alternate swiftly, keeping himself between Will and Warrior Star as he popped open a door for the human. Will hopped in, the door slamming so swiftly that it startled him before Hound gunned it and sped off, spinning his tires and slinging dirt as he went. The Raptor's engine roared so loudly that Will could hear it, even over Hound's, then the bronze truck leaped forward in pursuit.

"Primus, that slagging femme makes me uneasy." The mech muttered as he increased his speed, keeping as big of a gap between himself and Warrior Star as possible as Will looked at the dash in puzzlement.

"Why? I haven't really heard all that much about her yet." _A slight lie,_ Will thought as he felt Hound's hidden optics focus on him before the mech answered, his tone frighteningly cold.

"You don't want to know."

* * *

><p><em>He is afraid of me…very afraid,<em> Warrior Star thought as she watched Hound tear away from her in a shower of dirt and gravel.

_If this is how I can expect to be treated by my…'allies', then so be it._ She thought angrily, revving her engine until it roared before she shot after Hound.

_Nothing has changed, not even after my long exile. All those millennia spent in solitude and in silence, and for what? Nothing has changed…nothing._

Warrior Star was forced to increase her speed again as Hound fought to keep her from closing the gap between them, and she felt her spark spin with anger at his fear and his disdain.

_What kind of monster have I become in the stories that are told about me? Are there any mechs or femmes left that remember who and what I was before Shockwave infected me with that virus?_

Hound shot off to one side suddenly, and Warrior Star was forced to copy him to avoid a tree, then an irrigation ditch, as her anger blossomed into a boiling rage at the very thought of Shockwave. She felt her spark spinning even faster in her rage as memories of the Decepticon, and the destruction she caused after Shockwave's virus took over her systems, flooded her processor.

_They never saw me as a monster…my brothers and my creators and I were accepted for the type of Cybertronians we were, until Shockwave made them all learn to fear what we are capable of…he made me into this…nightmare. He turned them all against me, against my family…_

Then her thoughts turned again, becoming both happy and sorrowful at the same time as she remembered her creators and her brothers. She remembered long, joyful days spent romping with her three brothers, playing from dawn until the dusk, and sometimes after, before their creators came looking for them.

_Everything was…happy then. Peaceful. Then the murmurs started, the rumblings in the shadows warning of the war that was coming. The war for the All Spark, for control of Cybertron…for the very survival of our race. I can remember how hard the council fought, the long days they spent trying to find a peaceful resolution to Megatron's absurd demands as he slowly built up an army of sparkless killers right under the council's nose. Then Shockwave infected me with that pit-spawned virus, turning the council's attention from Megatron to my family. He destroyed everything…my creators were shunned, my brothers were hunted like they were rabid beasts…Primus knows if any of them are still online._

Warrior Star's creators, Stardust and Saber, were dead. This she knew. She had felt it when their sparks were extinguished, when the bonds she shared with them filled with agony then went cold forever. When she recovered from the shock of losing them both, she had howled her rage to an uncaring sky, asking a silent Primus _why_ they had had to suffer for her misfortune, why they had died for it. Of course, she never got an answer.

As for her three brothers…she couldn't be sure. She hadn't felt anything from the long dormant bonds she shared with them…they were cold, much like her creators' bonds were, but this cold was different. It was a sort of cold that more made her wonder if their sparks were sealed off from hers, if they had…changed in some way.

_Shadowfang, Keystone, and Swiftpaw were always tough young mechs…if anybot could survive being hunted and exiled, they could. Maybe…just maybe…_ Out of sheer curiosity alone, Warrior Star tested her bonds with the three of them, reaching through in an effort to feel them, to see their sparks.

However, she found that the bonds had been stretched farther than she thought from the long time that they had not been used, and she retreated in quiet disappointment. She still couldn't tell if any of the mechs were online.

Retreating back into her thoughts, Warrior Star stopped trying to keep up with Hound, letting the mech stretch the distance between them as far as he wanted as her processor wandered aimlessly.

_This is all your fault, Shockwave. All your fault._

* * *

><p>Far, far away from Earth, on a ruined planet that had once been beautiful and full of life, something prowled through the shadows. He was big, at least eighteen human feet at the shoulder, but he moved in utter silence. The beast was hunting, hunger rumbling through him like an angry beast as he stalked his prey by the light of a waning moon.<p>

The beast's focus was absolute, crimson red optics glowing eagerly as he closed in on his prey. The target, a tired and wounded 'Con, suddenly snapped his head up, realizing that he wasn't alone, but it was already too late. He turned, just in time to see a massive set of jaws open wide to reveal jagged silver dentals. His vocal processor stuttered, trying to get out a sound, but couldn't as those lethal jaws closed on his throat, severing cables effortlessly and silencing him forever.

As the massive mech's prey jerked spasmodically in his jaws, a sudden tug on his spark nearly made him drop the 'Con, which was already offline from his previous injuries combined with the sudden energon loss. Still holding his kill, he spun on his rear paws effortlessly, raising suddenly hopeful and brightly glowing crimson optics to the skies as a single thought went through his processor.

_Sister?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The idea of Warrior Star having a full family, creators and siblings, has fascinated me for quite some time, even before I decided to re-write the story. I always wondered what her brothers may be like...the way I'm looking at them is that Warrior Star is the oldest, and all three of them look up to her. Whether or not they will find each other again, now that Warrior Star's exile has been lifted, will remain to be seen.**

**Also, Warrior Star was exiled before the war broke out, meaning she has no faction. She knows there are two separate factions but doesn't know much about either of them. Since she was exiled before the split, she doesn't feel like she belongs on either side. She just knows that Optimus is an Autobot but she also knows that all the 'Bots are very suspicious of her. Not sure if the 'Cons think any differently of her.**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	4. Loyalty Lost

The journey back to the Autobot base was a quick one. Warrior Star suspected that it had more to do with the fact that Hound was terrified of her than anything. The human gate guards let both of the Cybertronians through with barely a passing glance, surprising the femme slightly.

_Either they don't know what we are or they just don't care…_ She thought as they made their way across the base. Most of the humans they passed paid scarce attention to Hound, but stopped to stare at her, pointing as she rolled by and whispering amongst themselves. Warrior Star barely paid them any mind, keeping her hidden optics on Hound as he drove slowly down the street. Then Sunstreaker and Sideswipe walked through the intersection that she and Hound had just come to in bi-ped mode, chatting back and forth with one another until their optics fell on her alternate, and they froze instantly.

_Primus, not these two…_ She barely managed to bite back on a growl of frustration as both mechs backed up slightly, Sideswipe placing a hand on his pistol uneasily as Sunstreaker reached for a hidden energon blade that Warrior Star remembered all too well from their last meeting. The rising tension between the three of them was starting to catch attention, leaving Hound no choice but to step in before things got ugly.

"Stand down, mechs. Optimus has decreed that her exile is officially lifted, and has summoned her here to speak with her personally." The femme flinched at Hound's tone, the mech sounding weary down to his very frame as the twin front-liners regarded her suspiciously. Not liking their aggressive posture or how they were staring at her, Warrior Star let loose with a bone-chilling snarl that made all three mechs jump. Still eyeing her uneasily, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe finally backed off and beat a retreat, but Warrior Star's sensitive audios caught their whispers as they went, and her spark sank in her chest.

_The rumors will spread faster than a virus in a place like this,_ she thought as Hound started moving again. He made a couple turns, and Warrior Star noticed the instant the base 'divided' into the human and Autobot sections. The buildings were much, much bigger, and the roads turned into a massive flightline that had the impressions of the feet of 'Bots in bi-ped mode. She was wrenched from the peace of her observations by Hound's voice.

"Just had to do that, didn't you? Stupid femme…" He snapped at her, and Warrior Star had to slam down the overwhelming urge to transform and sink her dentals into his back and tear out his spine. Before she could snarl a reply, he halted in front of a massive hanger, and Optimus Prime emerged, flanked by Ironhide and Prowl, and she could see several other 'Bots lingering in the shadows in the hanger. Hound let the human out of his cab before transforming and hurriedly stepping away from her, leaving her idling in front of a wall of Autobots, all of whom were regarding her uneasily.

"Warrior Star, it has been a long time." Optimus said, taking a step forward as he did so. Her hidden optics focused on him as she thought for a few seconds before softly replying, all the 'Bots in audio range stiffening at her soft, chilling tone.

"Indeed it has, Prime. Much…too…long." The emphasis she put on the last three words did not go unnoticed, and she saw Ironhide glaring at her as Optimus's deep blue optics saddened slightly.

"What of Stardust and Saber, Warrior Star? And your brothers?" He asked awkwardly when she said nothing else. She tensed instantly, and had she been in beast mode, she would have been baring her jagged silver dentals at him. _You dared to go there…stupid mech._

"My creators have long since gone to the Well of All Sparks, Prime. They were hunted down and killed by the very mechs and femmes they spent their lives guarding. As for my brothers…I do not know." Warrior Star all but snarled at him, shaking slightly in anger as _all_ of the Autobots shifted uneasily at her words.

_Yes, cower behind your Prime, you spineless cowards. My brothers told me how some of you chased them off Cybertron and into the distant cosmos not long after I was exiled._ She thought furiously as Optimus groped for something else to say.

"You have my condolences." He finally said, his hands flexing slightly as he fidgeted in front of her.

"Much as I appreciate your condolences, Prime, they mean very little now. My creators are gone, and my brothers are scattered and far away at best or offline at worst. I must ask you now…why have you summoned me here?" Warrior Star wasted little time with pleasantries. Her patience was quickly running out, and she was beginning to wonder why it was she answered his summons in the first place.

The tall red and blue mech stiffened slightly at her tone, studying her with narrowed optics as Ironhide _and_ Prowl both stepped forward, as if they were going to try and put her in her 'place'.

"Take one more step, mechs, and I promise you will regret it. Don't try and intimidate me…it will not work." She growled very, very softly, every 'Bot present freezing instantly at the veiled threat in her words. She was a deadly force, and every single one of them knew it. Warrior Star noted the rapidly growing anxiety in Optimus's optics, and he spoke quickly, as if in hopes of defusing the rapidly escalating situation.

"Warrior Star, why don't you come inside and transform, refuel and recharge for awhile? Anything I have to speak with you about can wait until you have rested some." Instantly, the femme smelled a trap. She backed up very, very slowly, her voice a near hiss as she spoke again.

"I am fine, Prime. I would rather refuel and recharge in a place of _my_ choosing, thank you." He took a swift step forward, and as he did, her sensors pinged, warning her that there were more 'Bots behind her.

_Sunstreaker and Sideswipe came back, those stupid mechs!_ She thought, her frame trembling with rage for a second before she enacted her transformation routines.

All the Autobots present leaped back as the Raptor broke apart, gray alloys and bronze armor swirling to reveal the femme's beast mode, a huge Cybertronian wolf. Her massive forepaws emerged from the chaos first, slamming down on the tarmac as her thick black claws dug in, the surface caving under the force and sending cracks spider-webbing out as her hind legs emerged next, hitting the ground in the exact same manner. Her heavy tail emerged next, the individual armor plates seeming to bristle slightly in aggression as her massive body and mighty chest formed, then her neck and her huge head. Her gleaming cobalt blue optics snapped online, and she bared her fearsome silver dentals at them all before she threw her head back and howled her challenge to the skies.

As she lowered her mighty head to glare at them all, her optics were suddenly caught by the human that had been riding with Hound when he had retrieved her. To her surprise, the stupid fragger was stepping _towards her,_ his eyes wide and filled with awe.

_He is not afraid?_ Warrior Star thought, turning her attention to him as she lowered her head enough that he could actually touch her if he tried. For whatever reason, everything that was happening around her disappeared as he stepped closer and closer and closer to her, until he was close enough that she could snap him up in her jaws.

Distantly, she was aware of another of the Autobots, Ironhide she presumed, snapping at the human to get back, but he was either ignoring the 'Bot or he just didn't care. She tilted her muzzle down just enough to still be able to see him, then she froze when he put a tiny hand on her scarred nose.

"So this is what you are…this is what they fear." Was all he said, making her narrow her optics at him in slight confusion before she spoke, unconsciously keeping her voice soft to keep from injuring his ears.

"Who are you, human? Why do you not fear me?" Cobalt blue optics stared into curious hazel eyes for the longest of moments before he smiled up at her, astounding the wolf even further as he said one simple phrase that had her spark spinning in astonishment and a ghost of warmth.

"I'm Will Lennox, and I'm a friend."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It is very late at night and I'm very tired, but I wanted to get this chapter up before I went to bed. I know I ended it rather abruptly...kinda wanted to get the introduction between Lennox and Warrior Star out of the way. Little choppier than I like but it works out...hopefully I'll have a little more time and energy to write a better chapter.**

**Oh, and to my reviewers, as well as all the peeps out there that have favorited and started following this story...thank you. Seeing those email notifications that people are actually reading this makes my day. :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	5. Finding Warrior Star

_A…friend?_ Warrior Star couldn't wrap her processor around it. How could this little human, who had barely known her long enough to even _understand_ what she was, already consider her to be a friend? As much as she savored the warmth and joy that filled her spark at his words, another side of her processor whispered dark words that echoed through her sensitive audios and made her cringe inside.

_He lies to you, to us…look at the Autobots and what they did. They sent you away for something you could not control. Your brothers were cast out by all those that used to call them 'friends', chased into the farthest reaches of space, barely able to escape intact and alive. Your creators were both offlined by those very mechs and femmes they used to guard in the sanctuary…this human __lies_._ All he wants is to hold you long enough for the Autobots to finish what they started._

Warrior Star could tell that the human, Will Lennox, spotted it when her optics grew pained and sad, and she slowly took a step back, gently pulling away from him as she whispered something, more to herself than to him.

"I have no friends." The human blinked, then she whirled, twisting sharply enough to cut between Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, lashing out with a mighty paw to knock the bright yellow mech down when he tried to grab her as she charged by. She heard his bellow of pain and rage when her huge black claws sliced across his chest armor, nearly cutting the plate in half but leaving him mostly undamaged otherwise as she raced across the flightline, dodging between aircraft skillfully as the thunder of metal feet reached her audios.

Warrior Star wasn't thinking about anything other than getting out, and getting away from the Autobots and everything they stood for.

_I should never have returned…this was a mistake._ With that one thought blazing through her processor, her cobalt blue optics spotted the perimeter fence, and she charged towards it. She was up and over in one mighty bound, taking several strides beyond it before dropping back into her Raptor form and speeding away from base, heading for the horizon as the Autobots were forced to halt at the fence, cursing as they did so.

The femme cast her hidden optics back to look at them as she raced away, feeling sadness and defeat curling through her spark before she focused back on the road.

_I shouldn't have come back._

* * *

><p>The massive mech was restless. He had been ever since he had felt that feather-light touch on his spark from a source he thought long lost.<p>

_How long has she been alone, wandering the cosmos in her exile? Why did she never call for us?_ His thoughts were so chaotic that they filtered through into one of his more active sibling bonds, and his smaller brother rose from recharge to send comfort and peace through the bond to him, helping to calm his raging spark before his voice came through.

_Shadowfang, what troubles you, brother? You have not been like this since our final days on Cybertron._ His brother's voice was soothing, and he paused in his pacing to think for a moment before replying.

_She's still online, Swiftpaw. I FELT her. She reached for me…for us._ Shadowfang replied, feeling the ghost of shock from Swiftpaw, then an overwhelming joy before they felt their other brother poke at them both.

_Brothers? What is happening?_ Keystone asked, having paused in whatever he was doing to reach out to his brothers and figure out what had them both so excited.

_Keystone, it's Warrior Star. She's still online…Shadowfang says she tried to use the bond with him._ Swiftpaw was so excited that he blurted out Shadowfang's news, but the bigger mech didn't mind. He was excited too.

_Are you certain, Shadowfang? She's been lost to us for millennia…after our creators were offlined, she just…disappeared and her bond went cold. I was certain she was gone._ Keystone was the most cautious of the three brothers, and the other two knew that he didn't want to get his hopes up only to have them dashed again. They all cared for their sister dearly and had prayed to Primus that they would eventually see her again, but never did they dream she'd reach for them first.

_Yes, Keystone. I'm certain…it was her. She reached out to us…she's looking for us. She needs us, brother. We have to find her._ Shadowfang spoke in such a tone that his brothers knew that he wouldn't be shaken from trying to find her.

_Very well, brother. I believe you. So where is it that we need to go?_ Keystone's question made the mech narrow his crimson optics in thought before he replied.

_I believe the Autobots lifted her exile…some of her thoughts came through intact. She is wherever they are._ His words were met by silence from Keystone and Swiftpaw both, and the three of them sat in silence before Swiftpaw spoke up suddenly.

_Earth. Remember that transmission that came through, that burst Optimus Prime sent out? It got to us not too long ago…perhaps that is why she suddenly reappeared. She responded._ Shadowfang pondered his brother's words, thinking back to the brief contact he had had with their sister.

_She was…happy. The planet was very beautiful…I remember her thinking about it. She was thinking about growing up, about our creators, and how much they would have loved that place. She was…wondering if she had finally found a home._

Again, the brothers were quiet. They knew their sister better than anybot, so if she could be found, they would be the ones to find her. Finally, Keystone spoke, his tone holding a note of finality that had Shadowfang's spark spinning in excitement and happiness.

_Earth it is, then. Let's go find our sister._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, here's a small look at Warrior Star's brothers for you. It may be a little odd to some that they managed to stay in contact with each other but not her...the reason I am going with this is because Swiftpaw, Shadowfang, and Keystone weren't officially exiled, they were just forced out as an after effect to Warrior Star's exile. They stayed together to survive, being younger than their sister and not quite as experienced in fighting and such as she was.**

**Warrior Star is the oldest, followed by Keystone, then Shadowfang, then Swiftpaw. Each mech is built differently and has different skills to bring to their 'pack' as a whole. Warrior Star is just the proverbial odd man out at this point, since they haven't been in contact since her exile.**

**Anyway...enough random rambling. Again, thank you to my reviewers, favoriters, and followers! :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	6. His Sister's Voice

Warrior Star had charged on, long through the day and deep into the night before she finally stopped, warnings and alerts blaring through her processor as she found a place to hide and shakily transformed.

_Primus…I'm tired, and hungry._ She thought, curling into a loose ball before slowly fading into recharge. Just before she fully went into recharge, she felt a light tug on her spark, something she hadn't felt in so long that she was instantly alert again. She raised her huge head, her cobalt blue optics brightening marginally when she felt it again.

_Shadowfang._

* * *

><p>Shadowfang, Keystone, and Swiftpaw had all been on different planets when they had taken flight for Earth. Each was going a different speed so that they would all arrive in the planet's atmosphere at roughly the same time.<p>

Shadowfang was _still_ restless, remembering the light touch on his spark, a fleeting image of a huge bronze armored face and cobalt blue optics looking down at him as they played, and all the emotions that went along with it.

_Warrior Star…I wonder how much you have changed._ He thought, his spark spinning rapidly in his chest as he remembered how her optics would change when she was happy and when she was sad, how they'd brighten when she sensed a challenge…and how they dulled with grief when she came back to her senses from Shockwave's virus and discovered that she had killed a mech, one that had been dearly loved by so many, and she realized that she had left part of Cybertron in utter ruin.

_Shockwave took so much from us…him and those slagging Decepticons…they stole your spark, destroyed our family, and sent our creators to an early grave. Primus, I can't even put into worlds how badly your exile hurt me, and our brothers…dear sister, I hope that we find you well._

Without thinking, Shadowfang reached out to Warrior Star through their bond, trying to touch her spark as she had his. However, his inattention didn't last long. She felt him, and she reached back. Immediately his crimson optics brightened, his spark spinning so fast that he thought it might burn out when he realized that she was _right there_, after so long of not being able to feel her spark or hear her voice.

_Sister?_ He asked, trembling slightly with barely suppressed joy, and then he deflated when he didn't receive a response after a little bit. He was just about to retreat when he froze suddenly as her voice whispered in his audios for the first time in several millennia.

_Hello, Shadowfang. It has been much too long, brother…are Keystone and Swiftpaw well?_ Her voice had changed, he realized. It was much deeper, a little rougher, but he could hear the warmth in her tone, the love and the happiness buried within that she had finally found him again after so long apart.

_Indeed, sister, they are well…we are heading to you as we speak. When you reached out to me…I couldn't believe it. I thought you were offline._ He had spoken rapidly at first, his tone high and excited, then he had stumbled at the end and his voice had darkened. He couldn't believe how silly he sounded, like a love struck youngling or a little sparkling. His sister's deep chuckle put his processor at ease, and as she spoke again, he realized how wise she sounded, and it pained him when it hit him just how much her exile had changed her, as well.

_How little you have changed, Shadowfang. Still with that youngling spunk at spark…how did you find out where I am, brother? I couldn't reach any of the three of you when I tried before…_ He felt a twinge in his spark, realizing that it must have hurt her to not be able to reach them, no matter how hard they tried. Then he remembered that she had asked him a question, so he answered swiftly.

_We received a data burst…from Optimus Prime. Considering how close the timing was between the receipt of that message and when I felt you reach out…we all believed that Earth was our best bet to try and find you. Were we wrong, sister?_ His question brought a moment of silence, and he sensed a whisper of rage from his sister's spark at the mention of Prime's name. He wondered at this, remembering how much she had admired Optimus in the past, then she spoke again.

_No, brother. You were not wrong. How soon will the three of you arrive?_ Any questions he may have had about her anger faded as he did a quick calculation.

_We should be in Earth's orbit within three human days, sister. But we can speed up if need be._ He added on the second sentence as an afterthought, sensing some tension in his sister before she replied.

_Please do. But don't damage yourselves…I don't want to lose you, not after I just found you again._ He sent a wave of love her way, realizing how much he had missed her somewhat overprotective nature. Then the proverbial lightbulb went off in his processor, and he swiftly asked another question.

_Something wrong, sister?_ Shadowfang prayed to Primus that she wasn't hurt, or in imminent danger…he didn't want to lose her either. Her reply made his spark go cold, and both Keystone and Swiftpaw felt it, growing alarmed at what they were feeling from him.

_Everything, Shadowfang. Everything._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: A little more of the brothers for you...well, one of them at least. That and I poked a stick at Warrior Star's history with Optimus, in a very non explanatory type way. I think I'll work on that a little more later in the story...but I'll work on the brothers and Warrior Star first. :)**

**To my dear reviewers, favoriters, and followers, thank you so very very much for your readership! Ya'll rock! And as always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	7. Moonflight

Warrior Star's spark was spinning peacefully in her chest for the first time in a very long time. Feeling Shadowfang reaching through the bond for her had surprised her momentarily but she had reacted quickly enough to get his attention before he retreated. She couldn't believe how happy she was, even after simply speaking with her brother. That and she was thrilled to learn that all three of her siblings were still online and that they had managed to keep in contact over the millennia since her exile.

_Not everything fell apart…that is something, at least._ She thought as she laid her head down, feeling all three of her brothers reaching through the bonds now to fill her with peace and strength as her optics dimmed and went offline. Recharge was calling out to the femme, and she was really too tired to resist. Having her brothers monitoring her helped her to relax a little more.

_I will feel better in the morning…a good recharge solves most anything._ She thought as a whisper reached her from Keystone.

_Rest, Warrior Star. We will be there by the time you wake._ His deep voice reverberated through her, and she smirked slightly as she fell into the welcome darkness of recharge.

_Keystone always was the ringleader of those three…I can hardly wait to see how much they have grown…_ With that last thought running through her processor, she faded into recharge.

* * *

><p>The weather and wind conditions where Warrior Star was were good. There was a light breeze stirring through the wildflowers near the small cavern she was hiding in, and some clouds scudded across the sky, keeping the sun from shining for too long and making things too hot. Up in the very upper limits of the atmosphere, though, it was a very different story.<p>

The heavy, powerful atmospheric winds that controlled the wind currents all over the planet were enough to tear most human aerial vehicles to pieces. Cybertronian aerial 'Bots and 'Cons, however, were designed to take a thrashing, and most of them lived for the thrill of riding the heavy winds.

This particular mech was no different, flapping his huge, powerful wings as he skillfully rode the dangerous air currents, his spark spinning with adrenalin and something akin to happiness as he let his thoughts wander.

_It has been far too long since I have flown,_ he thought, enjoying the feel of the wind blasting through his feathers as his sharp optics scanned the surface of the planet far below him, looking for nothing in particular as he rode the wind.

The mech's red optics gleamed as the sunlight flashed on the Decepticon badge etched on the top of his helm, the very lowest tip of the badge ending between his optics, almost like a tattoo, as he spotted something of interest on the ground and turned to investigate. He was an unusual color combination for a Decepticon, gold and a medium brown intermixing on his back before fading into a creamy sand color on his belly in his beast mode.

Turning expertly on the tip of one wing, the mech dove, cutting through the sky with ease as he went to investigate whatever it was that had caught his attention. Waiting until the last possible moment, he threw his wings out and back, braking hard and flapping several times before landing softly on two clawed feet and folding his wings. He cocked his head, finding himself staring at a _massive_ pawprint, dug deep into the dirt as he searched his processor for any 'Bots or 'Cons that had a canine or feline beast mode.

_Not Ravage…he's far too small for these tracks. Wrong shape too…must be more canine. No 'Cons on Earth have that kind of beast mode, and I don't recall there ever being a 'Bot with that type of beast mode either. Suppose I'll follow the tracks…_ With that thought, the mech flapped his wings enough to get him off the ground, and he followed the tracks calmly for several miles before he was forced to land again.

The mech found himself standing outside a small cavern, and even then, it was more like a spot in the rock that was dug out rather than being a legitimate cave. From the entrance to the very back wall, it was maybe fifty feet in depth and twenty feet in width. Even from where he was standing, the mech's red optics widened when he spotted a huge…thing curled in the very back. It was so long that both its head and its tail touched the sidewalls, and even then, it still had to curl to fit.

_What in Primus's name…_ He took a cautious step closer, finally managing to identify what it was he was looking at, but not who.

_A Cybertronian wolf…and a big one. Never seen this…femme? Femme before…who IS she?_ Still wracking his processor for an answer, he backed off, not wanting to risk waking the massive femme as he opened a comms link and waited.

::What do you want, featherbag?:: Came the harsh snarl of Ravage.

_Ironic that YOU had to be the closest mech to me…_ The Predacon thought in resignation as he spoke.

::Reporting in, Ravage. Found something of interest on an overflight…need backup. Lots of it.:: The mech spoke, keeping a wary optic on the recharging femme as the feline Predacon shot back a rather snide reply.

::Did you find a kitty 'Bot that you can't handle, birdscum?:: The mech transformed into bi-ped mode, a soft snarl curling around his mouth plate as he took several pictures of the huge femme through his optics before forwarding them to Ravage with his next statement.

::No I didn't, _kitty_, but I did find this. Think you can handle this one? I am doubtful, because this wolf looks like she could tear Megatron down without trying.:: The silence that followed had the mech wondering, but Ravage's reply answered any questions he may have had.

::I take it back. I'll forward your information to Barricade…he'll be very pleased with what you found. We've been looking for this femme for a very long time…your mech creator will be happy with you. Ravage out.::

_My mech creator is a disgrace…I don't give a slag if he'll be happy with what I found._ Resigning himself to a long wait, the mech sat down on a nearby rock, still keeping an optic on the recharging femme as he let his processor wander. Then a slight tug from the bond with his mech creator caught his attention, just before Starscream's cold voice whispered through his audios.

_You have made me very, very proud this day, my son. Well done, Moonflight._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm a couple days late on posting...my apologies. And yes, I decided to bring my 'Con into this...Moonflight was never seen in the previous story, he was merely mentioned. So, here he is! And yep, Starscream has a sparkling...ye gods.**

**Moonflight is a thunderbird in his beast mode, meaning that he has control of electricity and can shock the hell out of anyone he chooses. Wonder why he hasn't fried Ravage yet...**

**Warrior Star has been found...sleeping on the job, no less. She'll certainly regret that slight oversight on her part when she wakes up.**

**Thank you to my reviewers and followers! You guys make a writer's world keep turning! :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	8. Her Story

Optimus was almost frantic. Warrior Star was the _last_ 'Bot that he needed to have rampaging around on Earth. She was so big, so savage, so…beautiful.

_Even after all these years…_ He thought, pressing a hand to his helm in frustration. Optimus had always had a healthy respect for Saber and Stardust, and their four sparklings even more. The three mechs had always guarded their sister with a near fanatical sort of dedication, though the femme had always been able to take care of herself.

_Those three always looked up to her, her being the oldest. But they are mechs…and they are her brothers. I have always found that mechs with sisters guard them very passionately…_ He thought, his dark blue optics wandering as Prowl approached, having organized a search group to locate and retrieve Warrior Star.

"Prime, we're ready." His Second In Command said, his voice its usual monotone as the red and blue mech stared at him tiredly.

"Get on with it then, Prowl. _Try_ to not use force with her…she does have a rage mode, rather like Grimlock does." He warned, seeing something flash swiftly through Prowl's optics before the police interceptor nodded and walked back to his group, which included Ironhide, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and a couple other big mechs.

_And they still won't be enough, not if she loses it._ Optimus thought as Prowl gave the order to transform and the group headed towards the gate.

_Please let them find her safely…may Primus speed their journey…_

* * *

><p>Warrior Star was deep in the grip of one of the most peaceful, most rejuvenating recharges she had ever had, and she knew she had her brothers to thank for that. Even in recharge, though, her senses were very good, and her instincts…well, they never quite went offline. So when a rather foul odor touched her nose, she was instantly ripped from recharge as her systems began an emergency defensive boot and her cobalt blue optics snapped online. She knew that scent, having hunted this particular Predacon before, and she hated him. <em>Ravage!<em>

The femme spotted him the second her optics focused…and he was right in her face. With a deep, vicious snarl, she lunged to her feet and dove for him, catching him off guard and sinking her gleaming silver dentals in deep before shaking him hard and throwing him like a toy. He hit the ground outside her little cave with a shriek of pain, struggling to get to his feet as she fell upon him again. Her second bite finished what she had started, her huge jaws closing on his throat before she locked and clenched her jaws, snapping his spine with ease.

Warrior Star stood there, holding Ravage in her jaws as his energon flowed down her bottom jaw, then her neck, and finally down her chest in waves of glowing blue. She knew she made an energon-chilling sight, with a dead Predacon in her jaws and his energon spilling down her armor. The shock and fear on the faces of the rest of the Decepticons present proved that. She took advantage of their shock and took a moment to count their numbers…which was just a hair shy of overwhelming for one femme. She tugged at all three of her brothers through the bonds, letting them in just long enough to see through her optics as she whispered one thing to all of them.

_Hurry please, brothers._ Instantly, she sensed an overwhelming rage coming from Shadowfang, a wild sort of adrenalin rush and thrill of the hunt from Swiftpaw, and from Keystone…well, it was a cold, iron-hard need to protect and defend. She smirked slightly to herself as she twisted and threw Ravage, knowing that the moment her brothers arrived, these 'Cons would die. He landed right at Starscream's feet, and the mech slowly raised his optics to meet her gaze.

Warrior Star had taken on a classic canine fighting stance, her weight planted solidly on her forepaws as she crouched slightly, her tail held stiffly as her optics snapped, promising a swift death to any that opposed her. Ravage was mute testament to that. She watched as Megatron's cowardly second in command took a half step back, then her audios caught the sound of some mech shuffling his feet behind her.

Twisting in a blur of bronze armor and silver alloys, she pounced, landing on Barricade as the shocked mech tried to get back, but he was too slow. Her black claws tore into the armor on his chest as she closed her jaws on one of his shoulders, driving him into the dirt as he cried out in shock and pain. Taking just a moment to sink her dentals in deep, she left his arm nearly useless before she leaped clear to avoid a blast from an energon cannon.

Landing solidly, she slid backwards through the dirt, forced to lower her head as some Predacon mech she had never seen dove at her from the air, his talons barely missing her optics as she blindly swiped out with a paw, missing the mech but forcing him back. She slid into her defensive stance as the Predacon transformed, landing gracefully on his feet as he drew an energon blade and faced her without fear. She smirked slightly, baring her dentals as she started stalking him in a slow circle, Ravage and Barricade's energon coating almost her entire muzzle and chest. She spoke, her voice low and deep as the Predacon copied her movements, their optics locked and gazes unwavering.

"I am impressed, Predacon. Few enough Decepticons will ever attack me, even in a group, yet you dove right for me with no hesitation. You are truly one of a kind…what a pity you are in that faction. Pity you're in a faction at all, really." She caught something flashing through his dark red optics, then a thoughtful looked crossed his face before he answered her.

"Can't say I was looking to impress you, Beastbot. Somebot had to stop you from killing Barricade. And my faction was my birthright…I don't expect you to understand, Autobot." Instantly her optics darkened and a snarl curled across her face, making the Predacon pause in surprise before she barked a reply.

"I am NOT an Autobot! I have no faction! My _family_ was my birthright, mech. I don't expect _you_ to understand that. I was sparked before the war started, raised with my brothers by loving creators and taught by good friends and mentors both. I was part of the reason the war started, because a _Decepticon_ rewired my processor and I killed the mech sired by Jazz, second in command to Optimus Prime even before the war. My creators were Cybertron's guardians, the protectors against the darkness, and the peacekeepers that stood watch while all others slumbered. They were slain by the very mechs and femmes they guarded, Autobots and Decepticons both. I was exiled for a Decepticon's actions, for being deemed too dangerous to stay in the home I loved, with brothers I would kill for. I have wandered alone for countless millennia, hunting the one that destroyed everything I stood for. And I will not rest until his energon stains my jaws. I am Warrior Star, and I answer to no one."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So...Moonflight had the brass to attack Warrior Star head on, and he managed to impress her. Good show, mech, good show. That and now we know Warrior Star's story from her perspective...well, the bare bones of it, at least. And also why she claims no faction, Autobot or Decepticon.**

**I know my updates are beginning to slow down...I apologize. I am moving in a week and have an apartment to clean and pack up and two dogs to take into consideration. But again, my apologies.**

**Just in case I don't manage to update before then, I would like to wish my readers a Happy Thanksgiving, and I hope you all enjoy yourselves! Don't eat too much...well, unless it's turkey, but then you have to make sure you have enough time to hibernate for awhile after. :)**

**Again, thank you to my readers, reviewers, and followers for your readership! :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	9. The Pack

Moonflight stopped, staring at Warrior Star in shock, awe, and a healthy dose of fear. His dark red optics went wide for several seconds before he narrowed them again, studying the massive femme in front of him as she paused to stare coldly right back. His optics traced the huge scars on her thick bronze armor, and it was then that it hit him that she didn't have a faction badge emblazoned anywhere. She was speaking truly. She had no faction.

"You…you are that femme? The one that my mech creator told me stories about, all the way until I was in my third frame? War Beast, that's what they called you…after you destroyed part of Cybertron and left Andante offline in a pool of energon." Moonflight spoke without realizing it, but when the wolf's cobalt blue optics filled with pain and guilt, he realized what he had said.

She took a slow, powerful step forward, raising her head as she kept her optics focused on his. The energon of the two mechs she had already torn into was still glowing faintly on her armor, but his optics were riveted on hers as she paced closer and closer. When she stopped, she was within easy reach to sink her dentals into him, but she didn't. Warrior Star stared at him for a moment longer before she spoke again.

"Yes, I am that femme. Shockwave's first…successful test of processor rewiring. You are young, mech, younger than I gave you credit for…which is the only reason you're still online. I don't mind tearing 'Cons to pieces…but I won't end a youngling if I don't have to. The rest of your comrades, however…" The femme moved so fast that Moonflight couldn't process it. She leaped _over_ him to land on Starscream, sinking claws and dentals into him and making him scream before throwing him into another mech.

Moonflight turned, intent on leaping back into the fight, when she turned and slammed the back of one huge paw into his side, catapulting him into the air but leaving him mostly undamaged. He transformed into beast mode, flapping his wings hard to gain some altitude as he looked for a weak spot on the femme.

_Ouch. At least she didn't use her claws…she would have ripped my armor off._ He thought as he circled the battlefield, watching her tear through mech after mech like they were nothing. Starscream had recovered enough to transform into his aerial mode, and he raced to where the younger mech was circling before transforming and striking out at the younger 'Con.

"You slagging moron! Why didn't you get her when she gave you the chance?" Starscream yelled at him, incensed when his son dodged the blow with ease before giving him a cold look.

"She would have torn my spark out before I could. She spared me, creator…I want to know why." Both turned to look down when the wolf let loose with a terrifying howl, making all the Decepticons pause for a moment before they shook it off and charged again. But at the sound of an answering howl, all of them froze again, and Moonflight felt his energon go cold when his optics focused on the mech that had answered her. He was huge, even bigger than she was, and even from the distance Moonflight was to the mech, he could see the rage burning in the beast's red optics.

Next to him, Starscream whimpered before he whispered, more to himself than to Moonflight.

"No…not them. They're here."

* * *

><p><em>I am getting soft…I shouldn't have spared that mech.<em> Warrior Star thought as she ripped into Starscream before flinging him away like a toy. She could sense the youngling's shock, but then she sensed him charging at her again.

Turning fluidly on one paw, she struck out, backhanding the young mech in the side and slapping him high into the air, where he transformed into beast mode and started circling the battlefield.

_Stay out of this, young mech…I won't spare you again if you don't._ She thought as a cannon blast grazed her armor, making her snarl before she turned glittering optics on the mech responsible and charged. Her dentals tore into his arm and her claws ripped into his chest, punching through his armor and ripping through sensitive wiring and energon lines before she leaped off and hit another mech.

Some part of her, the part that Shockwave had amplified, relished the screams of her victims, and she hated herself for it. But she loved the thrill that raced through her body as she leaped all over the battlefield. She always had…that instinctual love of the hunt, of the chase, and of war.

_War Beast was a fitting name…I live for battle._ She thought, then a tug on her spark made her pause for just a moment, and a savage smile crossed her faceplates.

_Now you die._ Warrior Star threw her head back and howled, loud and long, bringing the entire battle to a halt for a moment as the 'Cons looked at each other uneasily. They shrugged it off and went for her again…until somebot answered her.

Warrior Star turned, feeling her optics go wide in amazement when she saw him. This mech stood at least nineteen human feet at the shoulder, with a massive, broad chest and stocky, powerful body. His head and jaws were even bigger than hers, with frame crushing power that even she didn't possess. Their optics met, cobalt blue to flame red, before she saw the rage flash across his face when he saw the damage she had sustained.

He was there in a flash, his jaws plucking a mech up and crushing his torso like it was nothing before he hit another, tearing off a leg with the strike of a paw as the mech fell with a scream. The rest of the Decepticons fell back swiftly to regroup, having lost a few mechs to just Warrior Star, and then another when the mech arrived. Then they all went rigid when a deep howl ripped through the air, and then another.

Warrior Star looked but the mech didn't, and she couldn't help but tug at all three of her brothers' sparks lovingly as the other two raced up to flank her as well.

One was small, about fourteen feet at the shoulder, with a long body and legs and relatively small head. He was built for sheer speed; he was the runner of the pack, with boundless energy and limitless stamina. Warrior Star had known him to literally run a mech to death once, and it hadn't fazed him at all.

The other was just barely taller than her, about seventeen feet at the shoulder, but his chest was absolutely massive, even bigger than the first mech's was. He was built for digging and hauling; he was their powerful den maker, their prey hauler, and he did very well at it.

Warrior Star faced the Decepticons again, a smirk on her face as her three brothers flanked her, then she spoke.

"Care to try the odds now, Deceptiscum?" She asked, a snarl coming from one of her brothers, then they all turned and raced away, dropping into a variety of alternates as they did so. But she couldn't help but notice that the young mech that she spared, the Predacon, hovered above them for a few moments longer before turning and streaking away, a blur in the morning sky.

Finally, she turned to her brothers, taking a long moment to study them again. Shadowfang was the first to get to her, and she met his optics again, studying the color intently. Flame red was the very first description that came to her processor when she met his gaze, but it was fitting. His armor was a deep, dark gray, but the color fluctuated slightly and became more of a silver tone on his belly. She stepped up to him, touching her nose to his cheek before pressing her face into his neck.

"I missed you, Shadowfang." She whispered as he nuzzled her slightly, sending love to her through the bond before she turned to her next brother.

Swiftpaw was bouncing on his paws, and she paused and watched in amusement before he raced up to her and rubbed up and down her side adoringly. She swatted him with a paw playfully, lowering her head nudge him gently. His optics were a vibrant green that reminded her of the pine trees she had seen on Earth, and his armor was the color of molten gold fading to cream on his belly. He was fast and flashy. She already knew that Sunstreaker was going to hate him.

"Off with you, cublet. I should beat the mech that spiked your energon." She said teasingly, earning a chuckle from all of her brothers before she went to the last.

Keystone was smaller than Shadowfang height wise but he was the draft horse of the pack, stocky and powerful. His golden optics met her cobalt blue gaze, his black armor gleaming under the sunlight as she lowered her head enough to press her forehead to his. She leaned into him, taking comfort in the boundless strength of the oldest of the three brothers before she spoke to him.

"I had forgotten how much I relied on your strength and wisdom, Keystone. I am glad to have you back." All three of the mechs crowded around her then, Shadowfang nudging her lightly with his shoulder as Swiftpaw curled into her side with a happy sigh. Keystone stayed where he was, letting her lean on him as she shuttered her optics contentedly.

_I missed this. I missed them…I may not have a real home to call my own, but I have my brothers. That is enough._

Feeling suddenly tired again, Warrior Star yawned before turning to go back into her little cave for a nap. Then she realized it was too small for four Cybertronian wolves.

A slight tug from Keystone and Swiftpaw calmed her thoughts. _Fear not, sister. We will guard your recharge. And Shadowfang will be with you._

She sent a wave of gratitude to them before heading back into the little cave, Shadowfang moving in front of her to lay in the very back, giving her a soft spot to curl into as she dropped next to him and put her head on his back. She dropped into recharge so fast that she didn't fully process what her brother said, but she would remember his words later.

"We're home, Warrior Star. We're home."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, a Thanksgiving chapter here for you. No pigging out has started yet where I'm at, but I'm sure I'll be stuffing my face way more than I should here in a few hours. :)**

**I didn't like the idea of all of the wolves having just red or blue optics, and I've also read a few fics where the author has altered optic color slightly. That and they have no faction, so it isn't like the optic color matters anyway.**

**And here are the brothers! I tried to describe the body build of each of the mechs so that their roles within the pack would be easy to identify. Warrior Star and Swiftpaw are the quick hunters, Shadowfang is the brawny pack guardian, and Keystone digs, hauls, and generally destroys anything within his reach. :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	10. Sad Memories

Shadowfang was at peace for the first time in…he didn't know how long. His spark spun quietly in his chest, filling his frame with joy and love as he looked at his recharging sister, unable to take his optics off of her.

_She's still the same…but at the same time, she's changed,_ he thought as he stared at her faceplates. Her bronze armor was still thick and it still gleamed brightly, despite the scars marring every single plate. She still stood tall and held herself proudly, despite the fact that no one was watching. He had seen her fluid movements and stunning grace as she had fought the 'Cons, and he knew that she was still as quick and elegant as she had always been. Yet…

_Her optics have changed…_ On the surface, they were the same color, a deep, stunning cobalt blue, and they still held that age-old wisdom and quiet understanding that Shadowfang remembered from his earliest sparkling days. But there was something deeper, something he had seen when she was fighting, and it brought him pause.

_The day she killed Andante scarred her…it scarred us all._

* * *

><p>Shadowfang remembered that terrible day. It had started calmly enough…him and his brothers had woken from recharge early and gone for a long run, stretching their legs and just taking some time to get away from the city for a bit. They had just turned and were heading back when the reports started to reach them.<p>

Alert after alert had flashed in front of Shadowfang's optics, speaking of an attack and several injured mechs, and the brothers pushed themselves to the limit to get back. They didn't know that Warrior Star was the femme that was responsible until they reached the scene of the final fight.

Their sister's processor was still firmly under the control of Shockwave's virus when they came racing up, and at first, they didn't understand what was happening. Shadowfang remembered turning to attack a mech that shot her in the back, and it was then that they realized that _Warrior Star_ was the one attacking everyone.

He turned back to his sister in time to see her go for Jazz's son, a well-loved mech called Andante. He was so much like his mech creator that it was almost ridiculous, small, a saboteur, but with black armor.

Warrior Star's brothers watching in horror as she landed on Andante, proceeding to rip into him with her massive dentals and claws, then they all charged. Swiftpaw got to her first, snapping his dentals near her face to catch her attention. She left Andante, turning to her youngest brother when Keystone and Shadowfang struck. They cannoned into her side, knocking her flying as Swiftpaw gently set his dentals into Andante and dragging the badly injured mech away as the other two faced off with Warrior Star.

Shadowfang remembered how much it hurt him to have to attack his sister. He hated it. But when she turned and snarled at him and Keystone, they got a good look at her optics, and he felt Keystone's spark go numb through their bond, just as his did. No longer were her optics calm and loving, nor were they cobalt blue. They were red, blood red, blazing with wrath and insanity as she bared her dentals and leaped for Keystone.

Shadowfang remembered screaming her name, trying to stop her from attacking Keystone, from attacking them both. The black mech slapped her with a massive paw and sent her rolling, and Shadowfang felt the pain from Keystone at having to strike their sister. She was back on her paws in a moment, and was preparing to leap again when Shadowfang _yanked_ on her spark, his fear and desperation pouring through their bond as she saw herself through his optics.

Immediately the femme halted, and he sensed a wave of confusion coming from her as she blinked at him, staring at him for a long moment before recognition flashed through her optics, and slowly, the rage left her gaze. Her optics faded to white for a few seconds, then changed back to their usual hue. Slowly, her gaze wandered, and she looked at the destruction around them, then the mechs and femmes surrounding them with weapons drawn and primed. She looked back at Shadowfang, and it was then that he saw the spark-shattering agony in her optics. It was then that he knew that she realized what she had done.

"Andante?" It was the only question Warrior Star asked, and Shadowfang turned to look at Swiftpaw, still standing guard over the mech even though his spark had gone out and his frame was growing cold.

The sadness in her second brother's gaze was all the femme needed to see, and she lowered her head, grief filling his bond with her before she threw her head back and howled. It was a howl filled with grief and sorrow and rage, and it echoed across Cybertron before Shadowfang added his voice, followed by Keystone and Swiftpaw. He remembered the whispers that had run through the crowd around them, but he hadn't cared.

It was later said that their howls echoed across the entire planet, and it was also said that their voices would echo for an eternity. No mech or femme present that day would ever forget what had happened. Warrior Star's exile hammered that point home.

Andante would never be forgotten, either. Keystone, Swiftpaw, and Shadowfang saw to that. They were the ones that buried the mech, and they were the ones that carved the epitaph into his gravestone. No…he would never be forgotten.

* * *

><p>Shadowfang twitched an ear, coming out of his memories as he looked at Warrior Star for a moment, with her head on his back as she recharged quietly.<p>

_That day changed us all…her exile broke my spark. Swiftpaw was just…not his goofy self anymore, and Keystone…I thought he would dig Cybertron to pieces after she had to leave. We were all broken, each in our own way. Then our creators were killed…that severed our last ties to Cybertron. We were gone before their bodies were cold. We had no choice…they would have killed us too. And all this because Shockwave needed a 'test subject'…I'll tear that mech apart the next time I see him._

Twitching an ear again, Shadowfang slowly lowered his head, curling just a little tighter so his nose touched Warrior Star's armor. He slowly fell into recharge, quietly at peace as Swiftpaw and Keystone patrolled slowly outside.

_Rest, brother. You need it._ Keystone's voice was quiet through the bond, and Shadowfang smiled slightly as his optics dimmed then flickered offline, knowing that he was safe to recharge deeply with Keystone and Swiftpaw a paw's reach away.

_I will be here when you wake, sister…I will be here when you wake._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And here is the story of the day that led to Warrior Star's exile. A little vague, given it's from Shadowfang's perspective. I'm sure I'll dig into it later in the story, from Warrior Star's viewpoint.**

**Thank you as always to my reviewers, favoriters, and followers! Ya'll make my day! Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving...I did. Think I gained five pounds but oh well. That's what a treadmill is for. ;)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	11. Truth Hurts

Keystone was watching Swiftpaw, amusement dancing in the black mech's optics. The youngest of the pack was bouncing on his paws, his head held high and his tail waving happily. His gold armor flashed in the sunlight as he danced almost elegantly on his claws, his forest green optics glowing with joy and relief.

_I haven't seen Swiftpaw like this since…since Warrior Star was banished. What a toll her exile has taken on us all…_ Keystone thought, sitting down slowly and listening as his brother howled very, very softly, singing his joy to the skies as he continued moving non-stop. So when he very suddenly went still, his entire frame rigid and tense, Keystone was on his paws in an instant.

"Brother? What is it?" The bigger mech asked, pacing to the gold mech's side as he started scanning the area, his ears erect and his optics gleaming. Swiftpaw turned his head slowly, his optics alight with the killer tracker instinct that he was famed for before he turned to face north.

"I smell trouble." The younger mech raised his head, breathing in and out deeply several times as Keystone turned in the same direction and copied him.

"That scent…is familiar…" Keystone said, his golden optics narrowed in thought as he tried to place it. Before either of them could, the subjects of their intense concentration came into view, their alternate forms coming to a halt once they caught sight of the brothers.

"Autobots." Swiftpaw said, lowering his head as a snarl curled at his jaws. Both of the wolves stepped forward, broadening their stances as the 'Bots transformed, Prowl and Ironhide looking between them uneasily.

"I'll wake Shadowfang and have him get Warrior Star up. They are here for her, I'm sure." Keystone said before he tugged at Shadowfang's spark through the bond.

_What?_ His brother's voice was a little groggy, and Keystone felt badly for waking him but he had no choice.

_Wake her, brother. We have visitors…and I am sure she doesn't want to miss them._ Instantly Keystone felt the alertness from Shadowfang, but his brother didn't respond. He didn't need to, though.

All the mechs present froze when an enraged howl erupted from the cave, then Warrior Star charged out, her bronze armor gleaming in all its glory as her cobalt blue optics snapped with fury. Shadowfang was on her heels, his red optics glinting as well as they joined their brothers, facing the Autobots like an imposing wall.

"Ironhide, Prowl, I thought I made myself very clear earlier. Why are you here?" Warrior Star snarled, pacing two steps forward before halting as she glared back and forth at the two mechs.

"Optimus would like us to bring you back to base. He wishes to talk to you, Warrior Star, about everything…hopefully you will be able to come to a peaceful resolution about everything that happened." Prowl said, but his optics didn't match his words, and all four of them saw it.

"You lie, Prowl. Tell the truth. He's afraid of what will happen if I am roaming freely on this planet. He's afraid the Decepticons will be able to talk me into joining their faction and fighting against you. He's afraid of having a weapon with four paws and claws running around. That's really why you're here, to take me back by force if necessary, and to put me down like an animal. Not happening, _Autobot_. Not happening." She snarled in response, then Shadowfang advanced to her shoulder and further, stepping in front of her protectively as Keystone and Swiftpaw came closer to their sister's flanks in response to his action.

"That's not entirely true, femme…" Ironhide tried but she cut him off, pushing past Shadowfang to get in the mech's face as she bared her jagged dentals in a bone-chilling snarl.

"Not entirely true, Ironhide? Not entirely true? I don't know _what_ you idiots are thinking, but I won't go meekly to my fate, not until the mech responsible for the carnage I caused is dead at my feet. That is the only reason why I am here now. I was _hoping_ that your Prime would let the past be the past, and that was why I originally came. Now I know different. Nothing has changed since then. I'm still the War Beast, still that out of control femme that killed Andante. I'm not Warrior Star in your optics anymore, but I don't care about that at this point. All I want is Shockwave dead, then you can do as you will. Until then…stay out of my way."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Note to self...don't wake Warrior Star up when she's having a good sleep, and don't lie to her either. Either option could get you killed. Both will get you dismembered.**

**Now we know how she feels about all the smoke and mirrors that the Autobots are playing around with it. Suffice it to say she isn't pleased with it at all. And she also stated that she's only still around on Earth for one reason: Shockwave. Can't wait to see what she does when she finds him. :)**

**And I'm working on expanding the personality of the brothers a little...as you can see in this chapter, Swiftpaw is not a youngling by any stretch, but out of all the wolves, he is the youngest at spark. Bouncing around like a silly little cub...I really enjoyed writing that. Shadowfang is definitely the protector type...not sure exactly what I'm going to do with Keystone yet. I know 'how' he is, just working on writing it out a little better...**

**Just as a forewarning, the movers are coming tomorrow, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to sit down and write at all. Next few days after look...fun, since I'll be heading across the country to visit family for a bit before I go to my next duty station. I'll do what I can, I promise!**

**And a big thank you to my wonderful reviewers, my favoriters, and my followers! I love you all!**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	12. Unforgiven

"This isn't a good idea. Why don't we just head on back to base and wait for them to bring her back?" Hound said for the…hell, Will didn't even know how many times the mech had said it now.

"No, Hound. We continue. If Prowl has his way, she'll be brought back in stasis cuffs. Maybe not at all. I want to be there, for her." The human snapped, barely managing to suppress a sigh of irritation at the mech's behavior. Never had he known Hound to be this…cowardly.

Will felt the Jeep droop slightly on its shocks, even as they barreled down the road at a nerve-wracking ninety miles an hour.

"We're almost there…Ironhide and Prowl have engaged already. They're reporting…um, a slight 'hiccup' but neither has specified what that is. They have stated that she's very combative…sounds like the pit-spawned femme I remember." Hound said, his voice quiet as they crested a rise, then he shot off the road, flying over the rough terrain so fast that Will was sure his teeth were going to rattle out of his mouth. What he saw when they got to the top of the next hill made him completely forget about chewing Hound out about his wild driving. That and the fact that Hound slammed on the brakes and nearly sent Will through the windshield.

Standing there, in all her glory, was Warrior Star, sixteen feet tall at the shoulder and twenty two at the top of her head. But behind her…what Will saw nearly made his heart stop. Three more Cybertronian wolves, two of them _massive_ in comparison to the femme, and all four were staring down Ironhide and his little band. Will knew that the weapons' specialist and his mechs were outclassed in so many ways that it wasn't funny.

Hound's theatrics caught everyone's attention; nine pairs of optics swiveled to stare at the Jeep as he idled rather uneasily about thirty feet away. Before the mech could stop him, Will had hopped out and started walking briskly towards the wolves, prompting Hound to transform swiftly as Ironhide took a step to intercept him.

"Stand down, Ironhide. I just want to talk to her." Will snapped at the black mech, whose ice-blue optics were filled with uneasiness, concern, and a few other things on top of that.

"William…" The mech started, only to be silenced by a laser-sharp glare from the human. Ironhide only used his full first name when he was very serious, but the mech didn't know just how serious the soldier was.

"Don't start with me. I know what I'm doing." Will said before he turned his attention back to the four wolves, Warrior Star more specifically. She was watching him curiously, her cobalt blue optics filled with a thoughtful light as one of the other wolves, a big steely gray mech with frightening flame red optics, stepped forward and put a huge paw in his path to stop him.

"Shadowfang. Let him be." Her voice made every mech present go rigid, then the gray mech stepped back again, his optics glinting uneasily as he watched the human continue towards the bronze femme. She stepped forward to meet Will, lowering her head as she had done before until the human was right in front of her nose. They stared at one another, cobalt blue to hazel, before Will spoke softly.

"They hurt you pretty bad, way, way back, didn't they?" He watched everything that ran through the femme's optics, unable to keep up with the flurry of different emotions that he saw, before she answered him quietly.

"I gave them good reason, Will Lennox. My crime is one that lives in infamy in the memories of all mechs and femmes still online today." Her voice was calm and soothing, but underneath the calm, Will heard the pain she felt, from the betrayal she remembered, and the memories she could never forget.

"From what I understand of it, and mind you, I have not heard the full story, or even parts of it really, you were just as much a victim as anyone that day." He argued lightly, unsure of why he said it, but the light that entered the femme's optics made him hope that he had said the right thing.

"If only the ones that decided my fate had seen it that way, wise one. Perhaps my attitude towards the Autobots now would be different." Warrior Star's voice was soft, and very, very slowly, she laid down, placing her muzzle on her forepaws but keeping her optics on his eyes the entire time she was moving.

"Then tell me this: why is it you haven't forgiven Optimus? From what I know, he voted against having you exiled. Or is it that you haven't forgiven yourself for what you did?" Will tagged the last sentence on there when he saw the look in her optics.

In the background, Will heard a quiet intake from one of the wolves, but he couldn't be sure which. He kept his gaze on Warrior Star, watching the femme keenly as she processed what he had said and thought up a response.

"Have you ever done something so unforgivable that it cost you everything, Lennox? And if you have, you tell me…did you forgive yourself for it?" A sudden agony ripped through Will, and he could see the pain in his eyes reflected in the wolf's cobalt blue optics as he shot back into his memories about five years. He remembered a beautiful woman, her joyful laughter, her glowing eyes…then he remembered a cute little toddler, her infectious giggling…and then he remembered the very second the life faded from them, their eyes growing dull and hollow before closing forever.

Feeling his throat closing from the effort of keeping tears at bay, Will lowered his head, gritting his teeth in a desperate attempt to keep his composure. He went rigid when he felt a very, very light touch against his back, and he turned back to Warrior Star, realizing that the touch he felt was one of her huge paws. She was almost cradling him in her lethal claws, then she very, very gently touched the tip of her nose to his chest, her optics locked on his eyes, then she spoke again.

"You and I are more alike than either of us knew, William Lennox. Perhaps that is why I believed you earlier. Perhaps that is why I believe that I can trust you now. You know what it means to lose something so dear to you that it scars you forever. You know what it means to have nothing left to live for. You know what it means to hate yourself more than anything in the universe. And you know the wrath that burns through you, screaming for vengeance, no matter the cost. I must ask you now…have you forgiven yourself, Lennox? Or is the only reason you're still living because you haven't found the one responsible for your pain? Because if you haven't, and if you only live for revenge, then you do understand where I stand. Because you are right in the same fragging place."

Will had listened to the wolf speak, and he had finally understood why it is he had wanted to help her so badly in the first place. Then it hit him that she had asked him a question, and he realized she was waiting for an answer.

"No, I haven't forgiven myself, and I haven't found the one responsible yet. It was a Decepticon, one I've never seen before. He was this…I don't know, some sort of bird. Big though. Real big." Will saw it instantly when her optics widened then narrowed immediately. He wondered about it for just a moment, then she spoke so softly, so coldly, that he realized she knew who he was talking about.

"It had to be him…there are no others. Starscream's spawn…it had to be. And I let him go. I let that pit-spawned mech go."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, the movers were in and out of here faster than I thought possible. Six hours to pack up ALL my stuff, shove it in a truck, and get gone. Amazing really. Anyway...by request of a couple of my reviewers, Lennox is back! I've been trying to think of how to get him back in there...here you go. :) Hopefully it came out alright...**

**And is Warrior Star right about Moonflight? Is he the mech responsible for what happened to Lennox five years ago? I guess we'll all see...**

**And there's Shadowfang's protective streak again. Trying to protect his sister against even a human.**

**Thank you as always to my dear reviewers, favoriters, and followers! You guys rock!**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	13. Dear Sister

Shadowfang watched in mute astonishment as his eldest sibling interacted with a human. A _human_. They had never even heard of this race, this planet, or experienced anything like what they were encountering now, yet she took to it like Swiftpaw trailing a Decepticon.

Everything in him, from his spark to his processor and every moving part in between, was _screaming_ at him to intervene, and to get the little fragger the pit away from Warrior Star. Logically, he knew that this one measly human could do nothing to harm his powerful, heavily armored sister, at least not without some serious weaponry, but he couldn't help his instincts.

_She was gone, lost to the stars for so long…now that she's back, I'll do anything to keep her with us, and I'll rip out the spark of any mech or femme that tries to separate us again._ Shadowfang thought, then he felt his processor stutter as he nearly glitched at what happened next.

Warrior Star had been listening to the human, laying down in front of him sometime during the conversation. Then, to Shadowfang's shock, she reached out a massive paw, curling it around the human's tiny frame and cradling him tenderly in her lethal claws before she ever so softly pressed her nose to his chest.

Instantly, Shadowfang shot back into his memories, back to the very first hours he had been online. He remembered seeing his huge bronze sister and massive black brother in the background as his creators held him and talked to him, then he remembered going exploring on his wobbly little paws as his two siblings trailed close behind. He had stumbled and fallen, still unsteady as he got used to his brand new limbs, and he remembered having a massive bronze paw curl around his tiny frame before he was lifted into the air. Warrior Star had gently turned him in her paw, checking to make sure he had suffered no damage from his mishap, then she had touched her nose to his chest armor, right over his little spark. He remembered looking deep into her cobalt blue optics, seeing the love, compassion, and fierce protective light in them, then he had curled all four of his little legs around her muzzle and shuttered his optics, hugging her tight and squeaking a 'thank you' and that he loved her, then she had gently put him down. He had immediately gone back to exploring, with Warrior Star and Keystone both following closely.

Shadowfang had known, almost from the moment of his creation, that Warrior Star would always be there to protect him, up until the very second her spark went out in her chest. As he watched her cradle the human just as gently as she had once cradled him, he vowed silently that he would do the same.

_I will NOT lose her. Not again._

* * *

><p>Warrior Star drew her nose back gently, carefully removing her paw from around Will before she pulled back and rose gracefully to her feet, turning on one paw to stare in the direction that the Decepticons had disappeared in.<p>

_I can't believe I let that murdering, deceiving piece of slag go. I should have ripped his head off when I had the chance…_ She thought angrily, a murderous gleam in her optics. Then an idea snapped into her processor.

"Swiftpaw!" The gold wolf jumped slightly at her tone but was at her side a moment later.

"Yes, Warrior Star?" He asked, watching her with gleaming green optics as she canted her head slightly and stared at him from the corner of one glittering optic.

"How are you at air tracking?" Her spark fell when a rather sad look flashed across his face before he responded, his tone apologetic.

"Not good, sister. I still haven't quite got the technique down…I can do a ground trail on the rest of those slaggers though." He brightened at the thought, dancing on his paws before deflating when she shook her massive head.

"I already thought of that, brother. Only problem I find is that the damn Predacon went in a slightly different direction. I get the feeling he's a loner…only coming when he's called type thing. That and he is Starscream's creation…I heard him call that coward of a mech 'creator' just before you three showed up." Warrior Star said, turning her optics back to the horizon before a rather nervous cough made all four wolves turn around.

Warrior Star raised an optic ridge at Hound, whom she was pretty sure was the mech responsible for the sound, before Prowl stepped forward and grabbed her attention.

"We really should be getting back to base…Optimus would really like to debrief you, Warrior Star." The police mimic said, casting rather uneasy optics across the other three as Swiftpaw brightened again before speaking.

"Base, huh? That sounds really cool! Is it like, an Autobot only base or is it an Autobot AND human base or…" Ironhide swiftly cut the young mech off, his ice blue optics narrowed as he spoke.

"You three aren't coming. Just Warrior Star." Instantly, all three of the mechs stepped forward, Shadowfang loosing a vicious snarl before the femme snapped a brisk command that silenced them all.

"Enough! Ironhide, let me make this abundantly clear…I go nowhere without my brothers. And for the last time, until I have hunted down that slagging Predacon and that lunatic mech Shockwave, I will not be going anywhere with you morons. Optimus can come find me if he so chooses…but otherwise…I have hunting to do." With that, she turned and trotted in the opposite direction, tugging at her brothers' sparks through their bonds.

_Come, brothers. The hunt is on._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well the chapter is a little shorter than I hoped, but I think it will do. Got a couple reviews begging me to update...my apologies that I didn't get the chance to write sooner. I crossed most of Texas yesterday, spent the night at a hotel in Amarillo, and then was up before sunrise to drive to my mother's house in Wyoming. I watched the sunrise over Amarillo, and watched it set over Nebraska. That is a long day, dear readers.**

**Anyway, here is Shadowfang's protective streak explained from his point of view, along with an 'awwww' moment from his earliest sparkling days. I loved writing that. That and the Autobots are STILL being afts about Warrior Star. Big no-no trying to separate her from the rest of the pack tho. Not cool. And the hunt is on! Still wondering if Moonflight is the mech responsible for the loss of Lennox's family (for the reviewers that asked, yes. That was Sarah and Annabelle I was talking about... :'(. I know.)**

**As always, thank you so very much for my favoriters, reviewers, and followers! It made me smile to see all those emails on my phone after two hellish long days of cleaning and driving. :)**

**Love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	14. On The Trail

Will watched the four Cybertronian wolves trot away, their armor gleaming in the setting sun, before he turned to a rather nonplussed Ironhide.

"So…now what?" The soldier asked, watching his Guardian through narrowed eyes as the black mech floundered to come up with an answer.

"We return to base. That is all we can do now." Prowl was the one that answered, his optics narrowed in a frustrated sort of way as he watched the wolves disappear behind a hill.

"We really should try and make Warrior Star return with us. Optimus ordered it." Sunstreaker put in, and Will couldn't help but snort aloud at the mech's arrogance.

"Go ahead and try it, you stupid mech. Our group could have possibly taken Warrior Star alone…with all three of her brothers here, we don't stand a chance. Each of those wolves is incredibly dangerous on their own, Warrior Star being the strongest and most vicious fighter of them all. They would have torn us to scrap metal and left our afts to rust." Ironhide snapped at the golden twin, his cold blue optics snapping with anger.

Will tuned out Sunstreaker's fuming, going back to what Warrior Star had said about the loss of his wife and daughter. _She seemed so sure that she knew which mech was responsible and she said she let him go…but why? If she's the murdering lunatic of a femme they are all painting her to be, why didn't she rip him to pieces when she had the chance? What don't I know about this femme?_

Turning quickly and cutting off Ironhide mid-rant as he chewed Sunstreaker out, Will met the mech's gaze unflinchingly and asked a question that made every 'Bot present stare at him.

"What don't I know about Warrior Star?" Ironhide and Prowl looked at each other uneasily, then Will barked at the black mech sharply.

"Don't look at Prowl, look at me, and _tell me what she did._ You all treat her like she's some monster, like she can't be trusted or controlled, like she's an animal that needs to be put down. Why?" The huge weapons' specialist looked at Will with a sort of helplessness in his gaze that only infuriated the human more. Then the mech seemed to deflate, lowering his shoulders in defeat before speaking softly.

"Warrior Star…was once one of the most revered femmes in our ranks, back before the war split us into factions. Her creators were Saber and Stardust, two of the Guardian class warriors that defended Cybertron in times of war and that patrolled and guarded the streets during the night. They were highly commended and treated with the utmost of respect and caution…both of them were dangerous fighters in their own right. They…were both killed following Warrior Star's exile. Killed by the very mechs and femmes that they spilled energon to defend." Ironhide paused for a moment, and Will saw the flash of pain and grief that ran through the mech's optics, then he continued.

"Warrior Star is the eldest of the four wolves you just saw…all three are her brothers. Keystone, that black mech, is the second in line, followed by Shadowfang, the gray mech, and Swiftpaw, the gold mech. Each of the wolves is built for a different function within their…'pack'. Warrior Star is a huntress, built for a combination of speed and strength. Deadly in battle and a near perfect hunter. She is a force to be reckoned with, even alone. Swiftpaw is short, but lean and long in build with long legs. He's their runner…he holds the rather infamous distinction of being the only mech in Cybertron's history to run another mech until he offlined. Didn't bother the little nut at all…simply grabbed the dead mech and kept running. Keystone is a digger…huge chest and massive forepaws, built for stamina and sheer power. He was an excellent miner…nearly dug all the way through Cybertron at one point. And Shadowfang…now he's the interesting one. He's the pack protector…fierce defensive instincts, and he's got the sheer power and a pretty nasty rage mode to back it up. Pretty sure he could give Grimlock a run for his money when he's angry." Will would later swear that he saw an affectionate gleam in Ironhide's optics as he described each of the Cybertronian wolves, but then his optics darkened again when he reached the next part of his tale.

"Now, as to your question…what you don't know about Warrior Star is the story of how she lost it once and killed a very, very important mech. In her defense, it was later revealed that she had been injected with a virus by Shockwave, creative fragger that he is, and that the virus had rewritten some base codes in her processor and had basically turned her into a pre-Decepticon killing machine. She ripped through the manufacturing district of Cybertron, tearing through every mech and femme that stood in her way, until she was challenged by a saboteur named Andante. Andante and Warrior Star were very good friends, and the mech was hoping that she might snap out of it when she saw him. Unfortunately, she didn't…she tore through most of the cables in his throat and ripped his chest down to his spark chamber before her brothers charged in and got her off of him. But by then…it was already too late…" Ironhide's optics reflected the sorrow he felt, then he vented harshly before haltingly continuing the story.

"The reason Andante was so important was because of his mech creator. You see, Andante was Jazz's sparkling, and to have the son of such a high ranking mech killed…it created a huge stir. There were already whispers of the war that was coming, Megatron and Optimus were more or less facing off…it was only a matter of time. Warrior Star was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back…the mechs and femmes siding with Megatron were calling to have her exiled at best and killed at worst. The ones behind Optimus were leaning more towards an investigation into the reasons behind Warrior Star's sudden violence towards a mech that was well known to be a friend and confidant of hers. Cybertron had a council style of government, and unfortunately, Megatron's supporters outnumbered Optimus's on that council. They were lucky to get it reduced to mere exile instead of having her executed immediately. Though as time has gone on, I can't help but wonder if those behind Megatron were hoping for an exile, and were planning on trying to recruit her later, her being such a powerful fighter. But she just…disappeared. No one has heard anything from her since then, until now." The black mech finished speaking, and the silence that followed was profound. Then Sideswipe spoke up, surprising them all.

"I never knew that, Ironhide. All I ever knew was that she murdered Andante. No one ever said anything about Decepticon interference." The silver front-liner almost sounded offended as he glared at Ironhide accusingly. The weapons' specialist glared right back before speaking again.

"At the time, it wasn't _Decepticon_ interference, but the fact that her processor had been tampered with at all was tightly controlled information. I only know because Optimus told me just before she arrived on Earth." That shut Sideswipe up, and silence fell once more. This time, Will was the one to break it.

"Well, now I know…but we're still at square one, which is this: what do we do now? Sit back and just twiddle our thumbs and see if she manages to track down Shockwave and that oddball Predacon? Or should we go after her?" Ironhide frowned down at his human charge slightly before speaking in a rather patronizing manner.

"_We_ will wait to see what Optimus instructs us to do. _You_ will be going back to base and staying there. I don't want you anywhere near that femme until the Autobots can get a better handle on her behavior." Will snarled at Ironhide, actually fully bared his teeth and snarled at the mech, before he replied acidly.

"Actually, Ironhide, you can't stop me. I may not be able to get an Autobot to agree to drag me anywhere, but I have my own vehicle that I can use. And frankly, I think I have a better handle on that femme than you do. At least she seems to trust me a little since I'll actually _listen_ to her and not try and take her from her brothers. That and I don't treat her like a murderer either. So go ahead, Ironhide. Try and stop me. See how far that gets you."

* * *

><p>As soon as Warrior Star and the rest of the pack were out of the Autobots' line of sight, she broke into a run, stretching out her legs fluidly as the miles slowly started disappearing from beneath her paws. The other three did the same, Swiftpaw bounding to her shoulder in a few long strides before he really stretched out and began to race with her. A smirk crossed her jaws as she matched him stride for stride, then <em>outran<em> him, proving that she was still the fastest over short distances before she slowed enough that all three mechs could catch up.

_I have missed running with my pack,_ she thought as the four of them ran shoulder to shoulder for a little bit, then she slowly brought her speed down until they were at a trot, a walk, then they halted. She put her nose to the ground, sniffing slightly as she worked to pick up the none-too-subtle odor of Decepticon. She had been tracking them by the smell of Barricade's spilled energon as they had run, but the scent had become diluted enough that she needed to slow down and actually track them.

"Swiftpaw, you're up. Come on, little brother. Let's find some Decepticons to rip apart." Warrior Star said softly, smiling slightly as the youngest stepped to her side and lowered his head to the ground as well. Keystone came to Swiftpaw's other shoulder as Shadowfang moved up next to Warrior Star, waiting patiently as the two hunters found the scent and started moving again, slowly but with unerring confidence in every step they took.

As they walked, Warrior Star thought of something rather offhandedly, and she spoke with her nose still to the turf.

"You three need to choose an alternate mode, by the way. It's how we hide from most of these humans…apparently they don't know about us or something." The three of them watched as she transformed into her Raptor mode, still able to track the smell of the Decepticons even in her alternate, before they started checking the web on her suggestion. It didn't take long for the three of them to choose something, and Warrior Star watched them curiously as they all started to transform.

Keystone finished first, having chosen the form of the Chevy Avalanche for his alternate. His black paint gleamed brightly in the setting sun, making Warrior Star smile again before she turned her gaze to Swiftpaw, who had just dropped into his new alternate. He had chosen a Toyota Tacoma, and he positively glowed. Then came Shadowfang. He had also chosen a Chevy for his alternate, but he was in the form of a Tahoe, the only one of the four wolves to not have a pickup for an alternate. Warrior Star chuckled softly to herself at the irony before the trail led her and her brothers back onto a human road, and she studied it thoughtfully before speaking.

"Looks like they chose the road. Smart actually, catches less human attention if they are actually on a roadway, where vehicles belong. Come, brothers. Let's speed this up before the trail goes cold." All of them immediately picked up speed, matching the speed limit sign they saw as they charged after the Decepticons, not noticing another sign that they passed along the way.

WELCOME TO ILLINOIS

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><p><strong>AN: Well, that ain't foreshadowing at all, now is it? Don't know exactly how I'm going to fiddle with this yet...I'll keep playing with it. And for those that are big Ironhide fans, sorry that I'm portraying him as being such a jerk, afthole, whatever. What I'm mostly trying to show is just how little the Autobots trust her and her brothers. I'm planning on making all four of them kick some serious aft to make up for that prejudice. Again, I'll keep playing with it. Should be a nice fun fight coming up here very soon.**

**Oh, and keep an eye on my 'Dark and Stormy Night Challenge' piece. I think I'm going to be rewriting that first chapter to match how I have Warrior Star portrayed now, that and I want to change her relationship/friendship/whatever you want to call it with Will Lennox as well. I'll keep building on that in this fic but I want to get rolling on that poor thing as well. It is well overdue for some updates.**

**Thanks as always to my reviewers, my favoriters, and my followers! I just checked my statistics on this story this morning...I started the re-write on 10 November, I think, and since then, the story has had over 1,000 visitors and almost 4,500 views! You guys are AMAZING! That and 36 reviews have piled up on the thirteen new chapters I have written...the first 36 were from the original story, when it was still called 'In The Past'. But still! I love you all! You make my day! :) *hugs***

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	15. The Enemy Is Afoot

Ironhide was not happy with him, Will knew. But really, he didn't care.

_Let the mech stew,_ he thought, still very angry with the weapons' specialist himself as he sat in Ironhide's alternate mode on their way back to the Autobot base.

Will also knew that Prowl wasn't too thrilled about having to return without Warrior Star. But there was nothing that could be done about that. Not now. They expected to only be facing the femme, but the fact that her three brothers had appeared from God knows where…well, that was an unexpected and unfortunate turn of events for the retrieval team.

_There was no way that seven Autobots could take down all four of those wolves,_ Will thought, remembering just how powerful each of them had looked, standing there with the sunlight gleaming off of their armor. He had been able to see the scars crisscrossing every plate on all four of them, and it was easy to see that these mechanical beasts were built for war. Then his mind turned back to the Autobots' treatment of Warrior Star, and his anger flared once more.

_Okay, I get it, I wasn't there, I don't know how important this mech Andante was, yadda yadda blah…but after as long of a time as it has been, why won't they just give the femme a chance to prove herself again? How can they be that sure that she'll go mad and turn into a Decepticon?_ Will wondered, barely noticing when Ironhide pulled back through the gate at base with the rest of the 'Bots trailing slowly behind. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't realize that they had reached the main Autobot communications hangar that doubled as Optimus's office until the black mech spoke.

"Will, I need you to get out please." Ironhide's voice startled Lennox but he obeyed the request immediately, stepping away from the mech as he started to transform. Just as the retrieval team finished transforming, Optimus emerged from the hangar, his deep blue optics tired, and Will couldn't help but notice that the huge mech looked rather haggard.

"What of Warrior Star, Prowl?" The red and blue mech asked, staring at his Second in Command impassively as the police mimic fidgeted under the Prime's gaze.

"We…ran into a slight…problem, Prime." Prowl replied quietly, meeting his leader's optics shamefully.

"Go on…" Optimus replied, his optics narrowing in the slightest.

"Keystone, Shadowfang, and Swiftpaw are here, Optimus. The whole pack is here, all four of them." Ironhide replied instead, his ice-blue optics very uneasy as the Prime looked at him in disbelief.

"Saber and Stardust's creations are all here? They all managed to survive Warrior Star's exile, then the outbreak of the war?" Optimus looked back and forth between the two mechs as they nodded rather dumbly before a thoughtful light entered his optics and he mused aloud.

"I must say I'm impressed…we always knew that Saber and Stardust were strong and that the four sparklings had inherited that…but still. Considering everything they have been through, from the virus to the exile to the loss of their creators, it astonishes me that all four of them are still online. So tell me, why didn't they return with you?" The big mech asked, and the silence that followed infuriated Will beyond belief.

"I can answer that, Prime." The soldier said, his hazel eyes blazing with anger as a rather horrified Prowl and Ironhide scrambled to cut him off.

"Quiet, mechs. Go ahead, Will." Optimus said, his optics narrowed suspiciously as he stared at the two rather…pale mechs.

"More or less, the Autobots got in a face-off with Warrior Star and her brothers, then I talked to her for a bit, then Ironhide and Prowl tried to get Warrior Star to return without her brothers, which needless to say didn't go over well. She might have actually come, being more comfortable now that her brothers are here, but the moment they tried to separate her from them…she snapped, and they all took off. I think they're tracking a pack of Decepticons, because Ravage was dead on the ground when we got there, and there was evidence of a fairly recent fight around. But to your question, Optimus, they didn't return because Ironhide and Prowl are treating her like she's an untrustworthy criminal, and they tried to take her away from her brothers, which, oh by the way, mean everything to her. She'd rather die than be separated from those three mechs, I think." When Will stopped speaking, the silence was devastating. Ever so slowly, Optimus turned his gaze to the two mechs in question, staring at them so hard that Will thought they might literally crack under the pressure. Then the human thought of one other thing and he spoke again.

"Go ahead and call me a tattle-tail, Ironhide. I don't care. I don't like the way you treat her, when if anything, she's still hurting in an agonizing way over what happened all those years ago. You told me yourself, Andante was a friend of hers, and she has to live with the fact that she killed him. That and this all happened what? Ten, fifteen thousand years ago, if not longer? Get the hell over it, get the HELL over yourselves, and give the femme a chance to prove that she isn't the femme she was the day Andante died. That's all she wants, Ironhide. A chance to prove all of you wrong." Will had NO idea where it all came from, but once he started speaking again, he just couldn't stop. It took him a moment to realize that every Autobot present was staring at him in a rather awed fashion, and when he turned to look at Optimus in puzzlement, he could see the surprise in the mech's gaze, then he spoke.

"It would seem, Will, that you have the ability to see beyond Warrior Star's…rather tarnished past, something that we as a faction have been unable to do since she killed Andante. But I believe I should thank you for your…open-minded attitude in regards to her. I believe that you may be correct about her…perhaps it is time we give her a chance." Before the mech could speak further, all present went stiff when an alarm went off, coming from the main hangar. Optimus turned, his optics dimming as he identified the source of the alarm, then his frame went tense.

"Decepticons. They've been sighted in Chicago…a lot of them. They have the entire city on lockdown, aerial support…" Venting harshly, the big mech put a hand to his helm in frustration.

"This issue with Warrior Star will have to wait for another day. Ironhide, Prowl, assemble every able Autobot we have and get them ready for an immediate departure. William, you may want to get your soldiers ready. We have to go now, before the Decepticons can do whatever it is they are planning on doing." Optimus's commands made every Autobot present spring into action, Will running to get his men ready as well. Then he skidded to a halt and turned to yell back at the huge mech.

"Optimus, why don't you try asking Warrior Star and her pack for help? If you really are willing to trust her and give her another chance, why not now, when the four of them could be very, very useful?" Will's question stopped the mech in his tracks, and they stared at one another for a moment before Optimus nodded slowly.

"Very well, Will. If you believe she could help…it never hurts to ask."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well another short-ish chapter...I kinda thought about following DotM, then I was like no...I don't remember exactly everything that happened and don't have the movie nearby to rewatch so...I'm kinda skipping/fast forwarding through most of the junk. That and I don't like Sam much...he's not making an appearance here.**

**So, yay for fight soon! And yay for Will, tattling on Ironhide and standing up for Warrior Star. :) I know Will's OOC now but...that's the awesome thing about fanfic. It's FANFIC! lol**

**Anyway...Dark and Stormy Night is off the ground again. Got a few chapters pre-written for that one. I might actually finish the last few today, get them proof-read and uploaded, then just post them every day like I have been. I'll try and get some stuff written for this story as well...trying to catch up on my fics/get ahead of the game so that I don't get caught with no time to write. Still in the middle of my move/transition thing so time tends to disappear before I know it. Sigh...**

**As always, thank you so very much to my reviewers, favoriters, and followers! And to Nyghtflower-Pack, I skimmed the first chapter of your story yesterday after I read your review. I should have some time today to check out the rest of your story, so you can expect a response to your inquiry probably sometime this afternoon. :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	16. To Chicago

Warrior Star and her pack were hot on the Decepticon trail, and the femme couldn't shake the feeling that something just wasn't quite right. They had started off tracking about half a dozen Decepticons, not including the two aerials, but as they continued tracking, both her and Swiftpaw noticed that there were more unique scents making their way into the mix. Finally, she stopped, pulling off to the side of the road as her brothers followed suit.

"Warrior Star? What is the matter?" Keystone's voice rippled through her cab, and she let a low, rumbling growl emerge from her engine before she opened comms links with all three of them.

"Something isn't right, brothers. There are more Decepticon scents on this path now than there were when we started tracking them. I don't like this…I don't like this at all." Warrior Star said, her brothers contemplating her words in silence for a few moments, but as Shadowfang went to reply, the femme went stiff when _another_ comms link opened with her.

_Who in the pit…_ She wondered, turning her attention to it out of curiosity alone, then she jerked when the deep, rolling baritone of Optimus Prime echoed in her audios.

"Warrior Star, there is something that I believe you need to be made aware of…that and the Autobots could really use the assistance of you and your brothers, if you are willing to give it." He said, and she sat in silence for several seconds before she replied, quietly but with a razor edge on her voice.

"Go on, Prime. I am listening…for now." Her tone was dangerous, and he immediately knew that she would not tolerate it if he beat around the bush. To her rather dark amusement, the mighty Autobot got straight to the point.

"There have been reports of high Decepticon activity in Chicago, that and they have locked down the city and have aerials patrolling the skies…" Warrior Star's hidden optics narrowed at the mention of Chicago, and she did a quick memory flash when she remembered passing a sign that said 'Chicago' on it.

"Illinois?" She cut in, cutting him off quickly but she needed to be sure.

"Yes, why?" The confusion and curiosity in his tone didn't go unnoticed, so she explained.

"My brothers and I are tracking Decepticons heading straight for there…it started out as a small group, then more started joining. We were wondering what was going on…I guess now we know. So what you want to know is if we'll help, right?" The femme asked, already knowing his answer.

"Yes, Warrior Star…if you would." His voice was cautious but hopeful, and she mused to herself silently before speaking aloud.

"That many Decepticons…that and the aerials…you are pretty outmatched, Prime. No offense, my brothers and I can't do much about aerials either…but slag. Why not? We haven't had a good hunt in awhile. But understand this, Optimus Prime. This is in no way to be taken as interest on the part of myself OR my pack in joining the Autobots. That is a subject that will be broached later. Am I understood?" Her voice had dropped to a low, dangerous growl at the end, and she could almost sense that he was nodding as he replied.

"That is understood, clearly, and thank you, Warrior Star. Your assistance, as well as your brothers, is greatly appreciated." He sounded so relieved that she nearly twitched an ear, then realized she couldn't. She cut the channel before he could say anything else.

Turning her attention back to her brothers, Warrior Star sat in silent contemplation for several seconds before Shadowfang spoke.

"Sister? What was that?" His voice snapped her out of her reverie, and she pondered her response for a moment before replying.

"It was Optimus Prime. It would seem that the Decepticons we are tracking now have made their way to a nearby city called Chicago and locked it down, including aerials. Optimus isn't sure why, but he's requesting our assistance. I said we'd help…but that this was not to be confused for us wanting to join the Autobot faction. However brothers, I will leave each of you to make your decision yourselves. If you do not wish to help, you don't have to. But I'm going." Her tone echoed with a finality that made all three of them pause, but it was Keystone that asked the question that she knew all three were thinking.

"Why, sister? You seemed pretty slagging determined to not be anywhere near the Autobots, but now you want to help?" Keystone wasn't questioning her decision, she knew. He was merely curious as to the change in spark.

At first, even Warrior Star didn't know, then a familiar human face flashed through her processor, his hazel eyes friendly and curious as he stood smiling at her. She nearly shook herself to rid the image from her processor, but then she realized her brothers were awaiting her response, so she answered quickly.

"Why miss up the opportunity to kick some serious Decepticon aft? That and I'm willing to bet anything that Shockwave and that Predacon mech that I'm looking for are there…what better opportunity to settle unfinished business?" She said, waiting for them to make their decisions. Shadowfang answered first, just as she knew he would.

"I'm going, Warrior Star. I won't lose you again." A smile crept across her hidden mouth plates, and she tugged at his spark lovingly in thanks. He tugged back immediately, and she basked in the warmth of the emotions he was sending her. Swiftpaw answered next, and she chuckled at his response.

"A hunt! A hunt, after so long, the whole pack on a hunt! This will be FUN!" The youngest wolf's enthusiasm was infectious, and with that, Keystone gave his answer as well.

"Well, I'm not going to be the odd wolf out here. Count me in. Let's go hunting, Warrior Star." With that final affirmative, Warrior Star put her tires back onto the road, kicking her speed up to the limit and further with all three of her brothers in hot pursuit.

"Indeed, brothers. Let's go hunting. Just remember, if Shockwave is there, he's mine."

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><p><strong>AN: Not the best chapter in the world...it works well enough for the purpose I wrote it for, which was as the sister chapter to the previous one, where Optimus asks Warrior Star and the pack for help in Chicago. Again, I'm not planning on following DotM, at least not too closely. I'll be writing the pack into the fighting as well as I can, but I guess we'll see how that goes, eh?**

**Anyway! Thank you, as always, to my favoriters, my followers, my reviewers, and my PMers! You guys are awesome!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	17. The Battle Begins

Lennox and his men would be jumping from Ospreys and doing a HALO jump into the city while Optimus and the Autobots assaulted the Decepticons from the ground. The mighty soldier was admittedly nervous; sure, he had done several HALO jumps before, but never one quite like this.

Around him in the Osprey, his men were tense and silent, and he could tell that they were all as uneasy as he was.

"Jumpin' into a buncha Decepticons, sir? And airborne ones as well? Respectfully, this sounds more like a suicide mission than anythin'." One of his men said, and the colonel turned clear hazel eyes to the speaker. They stared at one another as the rest of the soldiers in the Osprey looked on, then Lennox spoke, quietly and with unquestionable authority.

"I asked for volunteers, and volunteers alone, for this mission, Baxter. You chose to come. You have no one to blame but yourself." Suitably chastened, Baxter turned his attention to his gear, making a few adjustments as Will's thoughts turned elsewhere.

_Will Warrior Star be there? Today will not be easy…many people and 'Bots are going to die. We can certainly use her help, and her brothers as well…_ An image of a huge bronze face and gentle cobalt blue optics flashed through his mind, and he closed his eyes with a sigh when the pilot came over the speakers.

"Five minutes from jump point. Say your prayers, boys. This one is going to be nasty." The pilot's voice sent all the soldiers into a flurry of action as they did last second gear and weapons' checks. All but Will.

_I hope I get to see her again…_

* * *

><p>Optimus and his Autobots were nearing the city limits at about the same time that Will and his soldiers were preparing to jump. The mighty Autobot's hidden optics scanned the Decepticon lines, looking for a weak point. When he found it, he transformed, heading into Chicago in near silence as his Autobots followed suit.<p>

The two Decepticons that they encountered died swiftly, then Bumblebee and Prowl moved forward to scout as Optimus watched the Ospreys approach.

_Be careful, Will. If you jump in the wrong place, we may not be able to get to you in time._ The big mech thought as Prowl returned, reporting what looked to be a decent route to attempt to gain access to where Will and his men would be attempting to land.

"Good, Prowl. Once Bumblebee returns, we'll move out. Autobots, stay sharp and stay out of sight. We can't afford to have the Decepticons find us early." His Autobots disappeared at the command, and Optimus turned his gaze to the city once more, still scanning and looking for weak points. Then his spark sank when a desperate call came in from Bumblebee.

"Prime! Need assistance! Decepticons…" A round of static interrupted the Scout's transmission, and Optimus vented harshly, knowing what he had to do.

"Autobots! Roll out to Bumblebee's location!" Instantly, all of them charged out of hiding, making a fearsome sight as they raced to Bumblebee's location, their bright armor reflecting harshly in the sunlight as the Decepticons took notice.

_I'm sorry, Will…you'll just have to dig in until we can find you._ The red and blue mech thought as a cannon blast grazed his shoulder, which he returned far more accurately. The scream of an offlining Decepticon grated in his audios, but he gritted his dentals and pressed on.

_No choice…we have to reach Bumblebee._ A pained howl from one of his 'Bots rose on the air before silencing at its peak, and Prime felt his spark clench reflexively.

_The cost of this battle…will it be measured in the damage to the human cities or to the loss of human life? We may never know…_ He thought, dodging as many bullets as he could as he and his Autobots pressed on, struggling to reach their comrade.

_Please hurry, Warrior Star. We need you, now more than ever._

* * *

><p>Warrior Star and her brothers were about twenty miles out of Chicago when the femme received a rather urgent communication burst from Optimus.<p>

"Warrior Star, we had to move in early…Bumblebee got caught in the open while scouting and we had to go to his aid. Will Lennox and his soldiers just jumped…we were supposed to be near their projected landing site to give them cover fire but we can't…we're heavily engaged with Decepticons." His voice echoed in her audios, but what stood out the most was the part about Lennox.

"Where are the humans being projected to land? We'll go to them." She snapped, waiting impatiently for his response as she unconsciously increased her speed, her brothers following suit.

"Warrior Star, we need you here badly…we're outnumbered at least two to one and we still haven't reached Bumblebee…" With a vicious snarl, the wolf cut him off, her hidden optics blazing.

"Prime, you and your Autobots are much more highly suited for battling Decepticons than the humans are. Granted they are smaller and can hide more easily than us, but even the tiniest pieces of shrapnel from one of our rounds will kill them. You and your 'Bots will be fine until we can find and extract the humans to a covered battle point. Now where are they?" There was a beat of silence, then the mech replied, his tone tired and rather defeated.

"Check near the coordinates I am forwarding to you…hopefully they will land near there." Immediately, the femme plotted them on a map overlay, studying the projected landing site intensely for several seconds before she replied.

"Thank you, Optimus. My brothers and I will come to you as soon as the humans are covered better. You have my word." With that, the femme signed off, having cut almost ten miles of distance during the time it took her to talk to Optimus. Snarling softly to herself, she increased her speed again, an image flashing through her processor unbidden. A tiny human, big for human standards but nearly inconsequential to a Cybertronian her size, his little heart beating steadily as he stared at her without fear. Hazel eyes filled with curiosity and compassion, little warm hands on her muzzle. The look in his eyes when they both realized that they had so much more in common than they ever could have known.

Warrior Star snapped out of her daze when she hit a pothole, and she couldn't help but wonder why the _frag_ she cared about the little male human so much.

_It doesn't matter now…he needs my help. That is all that matters._ Warrior Star thought, her hidden optics fixing on the city on the near horizon, and even from the distance she was at, she could see the explosions and the fire and the smoke. Grumbling softly to herself, she altered her course to head to the coordinates Optimus gave her, hoping, praying that they would make it in time.

* * *

><p>Will's day had gone from bad to worse even before he could jump from the Osprey. The colonel and his men found out the hard way that their Autobot support had been detoured when Decepticons started taking pieces out of the Ospreys, several of them tumbling from the sky even before their passengers could try and jump.<p>

Immediately, the order came down for _everyone_ to bail out and as quickly as possible as the pilots started working desperately to dodge the many aerial Decepticons that came out of the woodwork to wreck the soldiers' grandiose plans of swooping gracefully into the city.

Will cursed under his breath as the Osprey he was in shuddered from the force of a nearby explosion, then he started pushing his guys out of the chopper.

"Get OUT! Jump, jump, jump!" He bellowed over the mayhem as the pilot struggled to give them enough time. The soldiers were tripping and falling over themselves to get out of the Osprey, and Will chanced a glance over his shoulder just before he jumped. All he could see was fire and Decepticons and falling Ospreys through the front window of his chopper, then he dove off the ramp. A few seconds after he did, a blast from a Decepticon cannon turned his Osprey into a flaming, smoking mass of metal and falling debris as it fell from the sky above him.

The soldier gritted his teeth, struggling to outmaneuver the falling Osprey as he twisted and turned though the sky, trying to get turned in the direction of the landing site.

_They won't be able to find us in this mayhem if we can't wind up at least somewhat close to the site that we marked…I have to try and get there. I have to._ He thought as he plummeted through the sky. He managed to catch up with the main group of guys that had jumped from his Osprey, and they frantically fought to get away from the Decepticons that were swarming around them. For a hair-raising few minutes, Will Lennox and his men managed to do just that, then as the landing site appeared in front of them, a stray blast from a Decepticon cannon struck the building next to them, spraying Will and his men with debris. A rather large piece whacked off of Lennox's helmet, stunning the colonel and making him drop from the sky like a rock.

As he fell, he heard the frantic screaming of his guys through his radio as they desperately tried to get him to snap out of it. But he didn't, he couldn't move, he could barely think. All he knew was that he was falling and that he just couldn't find it in himself to care. The ground crept closer and closer, and he watched it grow nearer to him through a haze of his own blood.

_Should have known my end would come like this…_ He thought rather off-handedly as he tumbled slowly, winding up with his back to the ground as he watched the sky for a second before closing his eyes.

_Sorry, Warrior Star…I tried…_ Was his last coherent thought before he hit…something. The following CRASH and bone-jarring impact with the ground snapped him out of his daze, and his eyes shot open when he realized he wasn't dead.

_What the…_ Will's thoughts ended there when a huge bronze paw gently pulled him off of a thick plate of bronze armor, then he found himself staring into intense cobalt blue optics that were filled with so much emotion that he couldn't even process it all.

"W-Warrior Star?" He stuttered, amazed and overwhelmed that she was there, that she had found him, that she had saved him.

"Will…thank Primus, you're all right." She whispered, looking him over carefully before curling him a little more securely in her paw as she slowly rolled to her paws. She gently placed him back on his feet, watching him to make sure he wasn't going to fall before she turned fluidly, and it was then that he saw all three of her brothers around her, facing off with a shocked group of Decepticons as the humans regrouped beneath the armored bodies of the four Cybertronian wolves.

"I am going to make you regret the day that you were sparked, Decepticon scum. You will curse your creators' designations before you die, and die you shall. For every life you have taken, Cybertronian or human, I will shed your energon, rend your armor, and crush your sparks. Primus's benevolence, your creators, or the Allspark may have brought you into this existence, but I will be the one to send you out of it. Prepare yourselves, Decepticons, for today is your last day. I am Primus's chosen tool of revenge and retribution, for I am the femme designated Warrior Star, and I will be your end."

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><p><strong>AN: So the battle begins! Kinda wrote this one on the fly...got about a three hour drive here today, doing the next little jump in my moving trip thing. Sigh.**

**Anyway! I actually really like how this one came out...I'm planning on writing Will's tumble from Warrior Star's viewpoint too, then I'll continue the fight.**

**Thank you as always to my dear reviewers, followers, favoriters, and PMers! I love you all!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	18. Saving Will

Warrior Star and her brothers transformed just outside the city limits, all four wolves charging through the devastation as Warrior Star hurtled towards the soldiers' landing coordinates. Her cobalt blue optics were flashing, wandering randomly as she searched the ground and the sky for any humans. Next to her, Swiftpaw stretched out his stride, his green optics alight and alive with the spirit of the hunt as he vaulted off of a wrecked bus to snatch a Decepticon out of the air. She dodged her brother as he ended the 'Con's life swiftly, then Keystone smashed through a destroyed gas station to sink his massive silver dentals into a ground-based 'Con that was hiding behind the ruined building.

_Where is he?_ She wondered, growing worried as Shadowfang leaped over her to smash another Decepticon out of the air, and she left the three of them behind as she continued searching for the humans, even more desperately now. Then suddenly, her sharp optics caught sight of something in the sky.

Raising her head sharply, her optics widened then focused when she realized that these were the humans she was so desperately searching for. She ripped through the streets, racing faster and faster to get to them as the Decepticons swarmed the airborne humans. Then a stray cannon blast hit the building next to them, and one of the humans was struck by debris and fell.

In her spark, Warrior Star _knew_ that Lennox was the human that was plummeting from the sky. She just knew. Her optics went wide and she caught her breath, feeling her spark tighten with fear and anger before she found herself moving faster than she ever had before.

In three massive strides, she was just about to him, and she launched herself into the air with every ounce of power in her frame. She twisted in midair, rolling so that her chest was to the sky as she stretched out a massive paw to the falling human, and she managed to catch him gently before she, herself, fell back to the earth. She landed hard on her back, her frame groaning in protest as her armor flexed under the pressure. She slid almost an entire city block before she came to a halt, her brothers gathering around her before fanning out to give her a defensive perimeter as she onlined her optics and gently lifted Will off of her thick chest plate. She looked the human over, finding herself looking into his eyes when he sat up and looked at her. They stared at each other, cobalt blue to hazel, before he spoke.

"W-Warrior Star?" His voice trembled slightly, and her optics gentled as she murmured in response.

"Will…thank Primus, you're all right." Relief flooded through every fiber of her being as she curled him just a little tighter to her chest before rolling slowly to her paws, standing up and setting him down gently as the rest of the humans came racing up to take shelter beneath her and her brothers' heavily armored frames. She turned, staring at the Decepticons that had been pursuing them with a mad light gleaming in her optics, then she spoke.

"I am going to make you regret the day that you were sparked, Decepticon scum. You will curse your creators' designations before you die, and die you shall. For every life you have taken, Cybertronian or human, I will shed your energon, rend your armor, and crush your sparks. Primus's benevolence, your creators, or the Allspark may have brought you into this existence, but I will be the one to send you out of it. Prepare yourselves, Decepticons, for today is your last day. I am Primus's chosen tool of revenge and retribution, for I am the femme designated Warrior Star, and I will be your end." She took just a moment to bare her lethal, massive silver dentals, then she charged. Shadowfang leaped out at her left shoulder, Keystone at her right as Swiftpaw came from behind her.

Warrior Star took the first Decepticon in her path down with a gut-wrenching snarl, locking her jaws and tearing his head off without even impeding her forward motion as her brothers each tore into one. She paused mid-step long enough for Swiftpaw to vault off of her back and take another aerial out, then she bounded forward and ripped into another group as Will and his men started firing at whatever 'Cons weren't being engaged by the wolves.

Warrior Star twisted sharply when she heard Keystone cry out in pain, then she was at his side, tearing through one of his assailants as Swiftpaw cannoned into another, forcing them to fall back quickly to avoid the pack's wrath as Shadowfang chased after them.

"Are you all right, brother?" She asked, checking him over with concerned optics as he got to his feet and shook out one paw.

"Yes, sister. Twisted my paw and fell. I am all right." Keystone reassured her, and she nudged him with her nose before leaping over him to slam a 'Con into a building.

With the humans causing havoc, shooting the optics of 'Cons and just generally being the proverbial thorn in the lion's paw, they were unable to defend against Warrior Star and her pack, and within minutes, the remaining Decepticons were forced to pull back.

Watching them run, the femme felt the wild thrill of victory and the adrenalin rush of battle rushing through her, and she threw back her head and howled, long and loud. Her three brothers joined in, filling the streets with an unmistakable challenge, one that the Decepticons were sorely prepared to counter.

Warrior Star lowered her huge bronze head, her cobalt blue optics glowing with a wild light, then she felt a gentle touch on one of her deadly claws. Looking down immediately, she found herself staring into the hazel eyes of Will Lennox, and they stared at each other for several seconds before he smiled and spoke.

"Thank you, Warrior Star. You…you saved me." Without thinking, the wolf lowered her head, gently pressing her nose into his chest and shuttering her optics before she replied softly.

"What kind of…of friend would I be, if I let you die when I could prevent it, Will Lennox?" He patted her nose gently, and she onlined her optics to stare into his eyes for a moment before she remembered Optimus.

"We must go…I promised Optimus that I would help him and the Autobots as soon as I located you, Will." She raised her head, turning in the direction where she sensed the Autobots were before she charged forward, her three brothers matching her stride for stride.

_Stand strong, Prime. We are on our way._

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><p><strong>AN: So. Not as good as I hoped it would be...sorry. Was trying to finish the chapter and get it uploaded before I ran out the door...visiting family. *facepalm* God I have been WAY too busy to write good chapters lately. My apologies...**

**Anyway! Next chapter will have more fighting, hopefully some better fight scenes, and I guess we'll see if Warrior Star finds Shockwave. ;)**

**Thank you so very much to my reviewers, my favoriters, and my followers! Ya'll are AMAZING!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	19. Warrior Star Vs Shockwave

Optimus Prime and his Autobots had reached Bumblebee. The poor scout was in bad shape, leaking energon in a half-dozen places and missing several pieces of armor. Optimus had lost one 'Bot to a pack of Decepticon aerials already…he couldn't help but hope that his Autobot was already offline. They knew that he was still online as the aerials had shot away with him. Optimus shuddered to think what the 'Cons would do to him.

A cannon blast whistled past him, wrenching him from his thoughts as he ducked, twisted, and rolled, evading more of the 'Cons shots before he returned fire, managing to down one.

_Where is Warrior Star? Primus, we could use her pack right now…_ He thought in slight frustration, then the whole battlefield froze as a single, piercing howl ripped through the air, swiftly joined by three more.

Optimus couldn't help it; he turned around slowly, deep blue optics widening as a _massive_ shape charged towards him before leaping with ageless grace and unyielding power, clearing him with ease before landing and sliding to a halt. He turned back around, his optics settling on a cloud of dust and debris that slowly fell to the ground, revealing…her.

The thick bronze armor on her back was scratched and dented, and she was leaking energon in several places, but she stood strong and proud regardless. Slowly, she raised her huge head, her cobalt blue optics gleaming with a near surreal light as she stared at the line of Decepticons and the hovering aerials, absolutely no fear present in her gaze. Then she threw her massive head back, and she howled.

The challenge in that howl seemed to hit the 'Cons like a cannon blast, and the line fell back a step, then froze as her three brothers leaped over the Autobots to join their sister. Optimus could imagine the Decepticons' thoughts as they faced four _huge_, snarling Cybertronian wolves, not the least of which was the infamous femme known evermore as the War Beast, her optics snapping with fury as her jagged dentals gleamed with Decepticon energon.

And so they all stood there, Decepticons on one side and the Autobots on the other, both sides separated by the four wolves, and then Warrior Star charged. Instantly, Keystone, Swiftpaw, and Shadowfang launched themselves forward as well, and the four wolves crashed through the front of the 'Cons, shattering the line as the rest of them fell back and scattered like spooked cattle. Instantly, Optimus and the Autobots followed them, finishing what Warrior Star and her pack started as the 'Cons fought to regroup and counterattack.

Every Decepticon that turned to fight was swiftly engaged by one of the Autobots, and those 'Cons that ran were targeted by the wolves. By now, Will Lennox and his men had caught up with Warrior Star's pack, and they scattered randomly into the buildings and started sniping at the 'Cons, destroying their optics or shooting them in weak spots like joints to slow them down.

In the midst of the mayhem, a slight tremor in the ground went unnoticed before it turned into an all-out quake that caught the attention of all combatants present. Warrior Star, feeling the ground shifting, looked up in time to see a Decepticon grin like a madman before the ground _exploded_ beneath her, sending the bronze femme flying through the air with a startled yelp before she slammed into a building. She hit the ground hard, feeling her frame whine in protest as she coughed and growled before onlining her optics to see what had hit her. Her energon went cold when her cobalt blue optics met the lifeless gaze of Shockwave, his pet Driller circling and twisting around him as the battle came to a screeching halt.

"Warrior Star!" She heard Shadowfang cry as the steel-gray mech tried to come to her aid, only to be slapped aside by one of Driller's tentacles. Warrior Star's optics widened as her middle brother slammed through a building, and she felt his pain through the bond before it became strained, and she knew that he had been knocked offline.

_Keystone, Swiftpaw, see to him! I will handle this._ She snarled harshly through the bond as she slowly came to her paws, baring her energon-coated dentals as her brothers hurried to Shadowfang's aid.

_Be careful, Warrior Star._ Keystone's voice was calm but strained, and she sensed that Shadowfang was hurt badly. She tugged lightly at Keystone's spark, sending a wave of love his way before she turned to face Shockwave.

Instantly her optics narrowed, flashing with murderous savagery as she felt her anger igniting into a towering rage. Slowly, she stalked to one side, holding Shockwave's gaze without flinching before she bared her dentals again and howled her challenge to the skies.

The mech merely smirked, watching her move with predatory grace before he spoke, his voice as cold as a winter storm.

"Hello, my pet. I have been searching for you…you left before I could finish your…repairs. That and I never got the chance to engrave your faction emblem on your helm…you look so naked without it." Warrior Star didn't even flinch, merely switching directions but still holding Shockwave's gaze as she snarled her response.

"The repairs, as you call them, were a failure, Shockwave. As are you. And as for the faction emblem, I never have been a Decepticon. In fact, I have no faction. I will let no one dictate my actions, or the actions of my pack, but me. But you never did appreciate an independent thinker, now did you, Shockwave? All you cared about was blind obedience." Her response made the mech narrow his single optic in a glare that would have sent most Cybertronians running, but not Warrior Star.

"Had you had a shred of 'blind obedience', Andante would still be alive today. It is due to the fact that you would not respond to my commands that so much destruction was caused and so many lives were fractured and broken." Instantly, the bronze femme halted, letting loose with a snarl so vicious that every being present flinched and fell back a step, even Shockwave.

"Wrong, mech…wrong. Had you not implanted that virus in my system, had you not turned me into what could be called a pre-war Decepticon without realizing the consequences of such actions, then, and only then, would nothing have happened. I may have been blamed for slaying Andante and destroying Cybertron's manufacturing district, but ultimately, the one responsible…is you. You, Shockwave, but you don't give a slag, and I know it. As it stands, your…_test_, was a success, other than the slight problem with the fact that I refused to respond to your commands. Even when I wasn't thinking like the femme that I was sparked as and that I grew up to be, I knew deep inside that I listened to no one, that I answered to no one, and that there was no mech alive that could command my loyalty if I was blind to the reasons behind it. You made a tragic mistake that day, Shockwave, and now, I'm going to make you pay for it."

Warrior Star paused for just a moment, staring hard at Shockwave, before charging in a blur of bronze armor. The silver mech started to raise a cannon but couldn't before the huge femme struck. Autobots and Decepticons both leaped out of the way as the wolf and the 'Con rolled past, Warrior Star's huge jaws gaping wide to bite as the mech struggled to dodge.

All souls present cringed as her dentals sank into Shockwave with a sickening crunch that left the mech screaming, and she stood and shook him like a rag before throwing him hard. He crashed through a building but had no time to stand before she was there, her claws raking across his stomach armor as her jaws sought his frame to crush. He managed to slam a fist into her face, sending her staggering with a snarl as he bounded to his feet before sending a cannon blast into her exposed side armor.

The blast knocked the femme off her feet, sending her sliding into Driller as the massive creature fell on her with a chilling wail. Howls, snarls, screeches, and the grinding of gears echoed out as the Cybertronian wolf fought viciously to free herself from Driller's deadly tentacles. Shockwave looked on, laughing chillingly before his amusement died a cold and painful death.

Warrior Star broke free, tearing through several of Driller's armor plates before managing to sink claws and dentals into the creature's sensitive inner wiring, sending it crashing to the ground with a pained shriek that had Shockwave charging forward to defend his pet.

Sensing his approach, Warrior Star turned, vaulting off of Driller to slam into Shockwave, her claws mangling more of his armor as her dentals ripped into him again. The mech went down with a bellow of pain, managing to kick the femme off before he issued a command to Driller in Cybertronian, and the creature and its master disappeared into the ground before the wolf could recover and charge again.

Warrior Star watched as the last of Driller's tentacles disappeared into the earth, then she turned towards the rest of the Decepticons present. With one snarl, they broke and ran, leaving the Autobots staring in shock as they rapidly disappeared from sight. The femme shuttered her optics, slowly dropping to her stomach as her system began sending alert after alert flashing through her processor, telling her of the damage she had sustained in the fight.

She had lost almost half of her energon to her injuries, and a quarter of her armor plates were missing or damaged beyond repair. Several key systems had been damaged, and the frame of one of her legs had been fractured, leaving her entire limb nearly unusable.

Warrior Star rolled to her side as the darkness of offlining called to her, her optics dimming before going dark as she felt her brothers jerking at her spark in a panic. The last thing she knew was a warm touch on her nose, and a familiar voice echoing through her audios.

"Warrior Star, don't die. Please, just…don't die." Will Lennox said, but that was all she heard before she faded entirely.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, this was fun to write. Hope it lived up to all my readers' expectations. :)**

**I have a few interesting ideas on how the next few chapters will go...but I'll play around with it, see what I come up with.**

**Thank you to my reviewers, favoriters, followers, and PMers! You guys are awesome!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	20. The Guardian

Will Lennox had been around the Autobots for nearly a decade, but never, in all that time, had he seen a fight like the one he had just witnessed. He stood shell-shocked, staring at the bronze femme where she lay in a pool of her own energon, her jagged dentals still drenched in Shockwave's energon as her three brothers crowded around her. Shadowfang was injured but refused to leave Warrior Star's side, and Keystone stood over her, his golden optics dark with grief as Swiftpaw curled into his sister's scratched armor, his green optics unfocused and unseeing.

Will approached the injured femme slowly, taking note when Shadowfang's piercing blood-red optics went to him but the steel-gray mech stayed quiet, watching as the human walked up to Warrior Star's face before he paused. The soldier stared at the damaged armor plates of her face, then his eyes drifted to her optics, still dark and offline, then he reached out to touch her nose, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Warrior Star, you saved me, my men…you came to the aid of Optimus and his Autobots…you took on Shockwave and the Driller, when no one else could. Our hero, our savior…and now we are powerless to save you. Yet we all know that this could have happened no other way…you would have done it no matter the cost." With tears in his eyes, Will bowed his head, gritting his teeth as the Autobots looked on.

"And I cannot help but wonder how this battle would have ended had you not been here. But why did you do it? Why were you willing to sacrifice everything for a race you hold no loyalty to and for a faction to which you don't even belong? I know you aren't here to answer…but all I ask of you now…is why."

* * *

><p>Warrior Star came online in complete darkness. Her optics were lit, but there was nothing to see. She twitched her nose, but there was nothing to smell. She perked her ears, but there was nothing to hear. The darkness, the silence…it was absolute. She was standing on her feet, but she could feel nothing beneath her paws.<p>

_Where…am I?_ She wondered, taking a hesitant step forward in the darkness, still not sure what was holding her up. She hadn't been this afraid of walking since she was a sparkling, she realized, as she took another step, then another.

Slowly, the Cybertronian wolf moved through the darkness, unsure of how big the space was or even if it had boundaries at all. As time went on, the air around her became lighter, and she halted, wondering if it was her imagination. Then she raised a paw, and found that she was able to faintly see its outline, to her relief. She looked forward again, proceeding a little more confidently with the realization that she was actually getting somewhere…wherever she was.

* * *

><p>Keystone was a wreck. He was standing over the damaged frames of not one but <em>two<em> of his siblings: his powerful brother Shadowfang, and his beloved sister Warrior Star. The mech's golden optics watched unblinkingly as Ratchet worked tirelessly on the bronze femme, while his assistant Jolt cared for the steel-gray mech.

Keystone didn't need to ask how bad it was; he already knew. The spark-wrenching agony that had filled his spark when Shadowfang was thrown through a building, only to have the slagging thing fall on him, told him all he needed to know. And Warrior Star…every injury inflicted to her, he felt like it was his own frame being crushed and mangled. Ratchet had wanted to check Keystone and Swiftpaw both to make sure their sparks hadn't been damaged from the after-effects of their siblings' injuries. Both mechs had rather vocally declined, due to the fact that Shadowfang and Warrior Star needed the medic's skilled attention more.

Now Keystone stood at attention in the med bay on the Autobot base, where the two injured wolves had been flown by one of the Aerialbots. His impassive gold optics flicked to stare at Ratchet when the chief medical officer let loose with a string of curses. It was something the black wolf had become accustomed to as he stood guard over his currently offline siblings. But when Ratchet's curses didn't abate, the wolf idly flicked an ear and spoke softly.

"Problem, medic?" Keystone's question was so unexpected that both mechs jumped before swiveling to stare at him. The black wolf wasn't fazed; he merely twitched his ear again as he stared at the yellow mech quietly.

"Your…your…your _sister!_ Frag, she has _always_ been prone to life-threatening injury! Why can't you slagging wolves stay the pit _out_ of _my med bay_!" With that, Ratchet turned, throwing a wrench across the room with so much force that it dented the wall, then fell to the ground with a clang. Keystone was unmoved.

"It matters not, medic. See to her wounds. We will concern ourselves with lecturing her for her selflessness later." His quiet tone snapped Ratchet back on focus, and with another softly muttered curse, he went back to his repairs on Warrior Star's heavily damaged frame. Keystone turned his gaze to Jolt, watching the blue mech work diligently on Shadowfang.

The steel-gray mech was missing most of his armor, said plates having been removed and sent to Ironhide for repair along with Warrior Star's damaged plates. The rest of the mech's inner workings lay exposed, the wires, tubes, and energon lines weaving through Shadowfang's frame like some oddball work of art. Keystone studied his brother's injuries intently before realizing that Jolt had stopped working on the gray mech, and he raised his golden optics to the medic's electric blue gaze. They stared at each other for several seconds before Keystone spoke again.

"Continue, medic. My brother's life is in your hands, and I don't think you want to know what fate you will suffer if this mech is to die due to a lack of diligence on your part." The black wolf's quiet warning was all the younger medic needed, and he immediately went back to work, his gaze uneasy as he watched the big mech from the corner of one optic.

Keystone had stood guard over his two siblings for hours already, and he would stand watch until they were both back online. So he stood there, his piercing gold optics wandering from Ratchet to Jolt to Warrior Star to Shadowfang, then the cycle started over, endlessly.

_The medics have been warned of what they will face if my siblings die…I will not lose either of them again._

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><p><strong>AN: So...this chapter is going up a little later today than I anticipated. Was spending one last day with family before I take off on the last leg of my little trek. Thank all that is holy...looking forward to NOT having to deal with every-freaking-body for awhile. I like family, don't mind visiting...just it wears on me.**

**And I meant for this chapter to be longer, I really, really did...but I managed to (rather stupidly) cut my finger relatively badly earlier today...one of the worse cuts I've acquired lately. So my finger hurts like a bastard and every time I hit the 'e' or 'd' key or any other key related to those...it hurts. :( I'm a moron.**

**Anyway! Was missing Keystone so got him in there a bit this time...I'll see about getting more Warrior Star next chapter, maybe some Shadowfang to. And as for Shadowfang being online at the beginning of the chapter, then offline near the end...the medics knocked him out. 'nuff said.**

**And I don't think I'll be able to get a chapter up tomorrow, what with the length of the drive I have ahead of me. But we'll see...**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	21. Sorrowful Reunion

Warrior Star had wandered for…she didn't know how long. The air surrounding her had been steadily getting lighter as time had went on, even though she had no idea what time it was, or what day it was. She just knew that time was passing.

Finally, she could see the ground beneath her paws, and she stopped for just a moment, so glad to see _something_ that she didn't even notice what was right in front of her nose. Then her ears twitched as a booming roar touched her audios, and she raised her head. The sight in front of her was nothing short of breathtaking, and had the wolf been human, she would have fallen on her aft in shock. As it was, she staggered back a step, her cobalt blue optics taking in the view.

A massive, clear, beautiful waterfall was in front of her, dropping down into a gorge so deep that she couldn't even see the bottom through the mist. Rainbows flashed in the mist from the roaring water, and both sides of the gorge were green and had flowers scattered randomly through the soft grass. A simple wood and rope bridge spanned the expanse, but at a glance, Warrior Star could tell that it was solidly built and would hold steady and strong for an eternity.

Slowly, step by step, the Cybertronian wolf approached the bridge, her keen optics scouring the opposite side in an attempt to determine what was over there. Unable to see anything, but sensing that she was in no danger, she kept walking, until the first board on her side sat just in front of her deadly black claws. Right as she raised a paw to step onto the bridge, a voice stopped her cold, one that made her go tense before she spun, unable to process who was speaking. The faces that greeted her made her freeze in shock.

"Wait, Warrior Star. Don't go over that bridge…if you do, you will never return." The speaker was Cybertronian, stepping out of the shadows and raising her massive silver head as her amber colored optics met the bronze wolf's gaze. Another Cybertronian stepped forward at the silver femme's side, his optics a piercing blue that put Ironhide's to shame as his white armor gleamed under an unseen sun.

Warrior Star's jaw went slack with shock, grief, and recognition before she managed to get her processor working well enough to speak.

"It can't be…you're…you're Stardust and Saber…my creators." Her voice was broken and barely understandable, but the silver femme's optics saddened nonetheless.

"Yes, daughter…it's us." Stardust took a few measured strides forward, until her amber optics were directly at level with Warrior Star's and their muzzles were inches apart. The silver femme's scent wafted across Warrior Star's nose, and her jaws trembled as she tried to think of something, _anything_ to say. She shuttered her cobalt blue optics, opting to just step forward and press her cheek plates to Stardust's before she ran her face down the silver femme's neck until her bronze head was resting on the other femme's shoulder.

"Carrier…I have missed you." The bronze femme whispered as Stardust laid her head on Warrior Star's shoulder in the wolf version of a 'hug'. She could almost feel the silver femme smiling as she spoke in response.

"And we have missed you, Warrior Star. Primus, look how you've grown…you finally grew into those massive armor plates. You got your size from your father…that we always knew." The silver femme said, raising her head and taking a step back as the white mech stepped forward, his blue optics locking on to Warrior Star's before they touched noses. But instead of laying her head on his shoulder, Warrior Star lowered her head, pressing her forehead against her father's huge, broad white chest plates as he lowered his head to curl around her neck slightly.

"Creator…it has been too long. Keystone looks just like you…the blasted cub tries his best to act like you too, but he isn't you…he tries so hard to be, though." Warrior Star murmured, feeling the chuckle that rumbled through her father's massive chest before he spoke.

"He has you for his role model, Warrior Star. We have watched you from this place the entire time we have been offline. You have done your very best, and Stardust and I are both so proud of you. A lesser femme, and even most mechs, would have just given up and died had they been through what you have been. Your strength has always set you apart, out of all of our cubs…even after what happened with Andante, we knew that you'd pick yourself back up and that you'd find a way to survive and move on. We knew you would eventually find your brothers again, and we knew that you would lead them wisely. They have no better leader or role model than you, Warrior Star. No Autobot or Decepticon will ever be able to control them, and we're so slagging proud that you have had the strength to hold against Megatron and Optimus both. You are exactly who you were supposed to be…don't let anyone change that." Warrior Star pulled her head back, raising her optics to her father's again before he gently nuzzled her cheek and stepped back.

They all stood there and stared at each other for what felt like forever before Warrior Star got up the strength to speak again.

"What now? You stopped me from going across the bridge…why?" She asked, seeing the sadness that flickered through both Stardust and Saber's optics before the silver femme replied.

"Warrior Star, that bridge leads to…well, more or less, the Well of All Sparks lies beyond that bridge. It…it leads to eternity. If you cross that bridge, you can never return." The bronze femme's head shot up, then she spun to face the bridge again. Narrowing her cobalt blue optics, she tried to see what lay beyond the bridge, but there was a thick mist on the other side. It spanned the entire length on the opposite side, and somehow, the bronze femme knew that it was impenetrable, and that to see through it, you had to walk through it. Then something else popped into her processor, and she spun to face the two wolves again.

"If that is eternity, then why have you not crossed? Have you both been waiting for me here the entire time? Or is there something else, some other reason that you have not gone?" Warrior Star asked, tensing instantly when she saw the look that passed between them, then Saber spoke cautiously.

"We…can't go, Warrior Star. Not yet." The tone to his voice made her narrow her optics, and she took a half step forward, halting when Stardust picked up where the white mech had left off.

"There is…something holding us here." She paused, smiling in a way that was both sad and ironic as her tone changed slightly.

"You see…we were part of Cybertron's Guardian class, but you already knew that. We were tasked with guarding the mechs and femmes in the city with our lives, from any threat that presented itself. After Andante died, the population of Cybertron revolted against the Guardian class, since all but a few were some type of Beastbot or Predacon. The fact that we were Guardians meant that we really couldn't fight back when we were attacked…we could either run or die. Some of them ran and have been hunted ever since…but you and your brothers already know our fate." The silver femme's amber optics were dark with emotion, her face troubled when she stopped speaking, so Saber picked up where his sparkmate left off.

"The fact remains, Warrior Star, until all the mechs and femmes that we were tasked with guarding have died, we can't cross. None of the Guardians can. We've been patrolling this side of the crossing since our offlining…all of us. So few of the Guardian class remain…you and your brothers are just about all that is left of a dying breed of Cybertronian. However…there is another Predacon online that I know of that is a descendent of one of the Guardians that is here with us now. Ah, there she is now. Nova!" At the white mech's call, Warrior Star turned, just in time to see a big femme land nearby.

The femme was big, with massive feathered wings and piercing gold optics. She folded her wings neatly, swiveling her head to gaze at Saber before she spoke.

"Hello, Saber. Is this that femme you have spoken so much about?" Something about the femme's voice was so familiar that Warrior Star didn't hear her creator's reply as she searched her processor, trying to figure out why this femme seemed so fragging familiar. The answer hit her so suddenly that her head shot up and her cobalt blue optics went wide with shock, then she spoke, bringing the attention of all three of them back to her.

"It can't be…" The bronze femme took a step closer to the dark-colored femme, reaching her head out to sniff slightly at the femme before she finished her sentence.

"I know your creation. You're Moonflight's femme creator…you have to be." Nova chuckled, making the bronze femme's head snap up before she replied.

"Very good, youngling. So you are the eldest creation of Saber and Stardust…there is no doubt. Yes, I am Moonflight's femme creator. And I know that you met my son…despite what you may think, he is a good youngling. It's just he followed his mech creator a little too closely after I was offlined…he's more like me than even he knows." Her voice was clear and almost hypnotic, the tone so warm and gentle that Warrior Star relaxed immediately. Then Saber spoke again.

"You should try and tame that Predacon, Warrior Star. Get him away from the Decepticons…they are a bad influence on him. If only for Nova's sake…we've known each other so long now." Warrior Star wasn't sure what it was, but something caught the attention of all three of the Guardians, then Stardust turned to face the bronze femme again.

"It's time for you to return, Warrior Star. You must go." Warrior Star opened her mouth to issue a rebuttal, but to her shock, no sound emerged from her gaping jaws. Both of her creators backed away, stepping towards the shadows as Nova spread her wings and took flight, disappearing quickly, but Warrior Star's optics were on her creators. She tried to step towards them in an effort to keep them from leaving, but her paws were frozen to the ground. She was on the edge of panicking when Saber spoke one last time.

"Do not fear, Warrior Star. Everything will go dark, and you will know only silence for awhile before you come back online. It will be all right…do not fear. And do not worry about our fate…we knew the commitment when we chose to become Guardians. We will wait for your return…goodbye, Warrior Star. Goodbye…" The white mech's voice faded, and then the bronze femme was plunged into blackness and silence, and she was alone once more.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ...hell. I almost had to break out the tissues just writing this one. Ugh... :(**

**Of note, when I had Warrior Star address Stardust as 'Carrier', it is because she is the femme creator and had to carry the sparkling. And it's pretty simple why she called Saber 'Creator'. Just wanted to clarify why I wrote it that way.**

**So! That's Saber and Stardust, and I even managed to get Nova in there too. I mentioned her in the previous story version, but I don't think I had her as a Predacon...I think she was just a normal bi-ped Decepticon. In this version, she has no faction and she's a Predacon. Ah well. Fixing my previous story still...lol.**

**Slightly longer chapter than the others have been...hope I can keep that up. :) And my finger is doing much better. There's this neat little healing salve that my brother-in-law's family used to make years and years ago that works really well. I think my finger should be mostly healed by next weekend.**

**And a big huge MASSIVE thank you to my reviewers, favoriters, and followers! I forgot to thank ya'll last chapter and I have a lot of new reviewers this time around so...THANKS! :) *hugs***

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	22. The Guardian Legacy

Warrior Star had been in Ratchet's med bay for nine human days. Optimus Prime had not left the med bay in nine human days.

The big red and blue mech stood next to the berth that the wolf was sprawled out on, staring down at her with a gaze so piercing that Ratchet was sure the other mech was trying to bore a hole through the offline wolf.

"Stare at her any harder and you're going to weld what little of her armor is still intact to her frame, Optimus." The medic said, taking quiet, measured steps to his leader's side as the larger mech's blue optics swept away from Warrior Star to stare at his medic. Ratchet met Optimus's gaze squarely, studying the look in his leader's optics before he spoke again.

"What troubles you, Prime? I haven't seen you like this since she was exiled." At Ratchet's words, the red and blue mech's gaze grew sad before he looked back at Warrior Star.

"We grew up together, Ratchet. It is…painful for me to see her like this. And it hurts me to know how much she has changed over the millennia…and it hurts me to know that she doesn't care about us anymore." Ratchet twitched at his words, thinking hard for a moment before he replied.

"I…don't believe that is true, Optimus. She returned for you." A bitter smirk flickered across Prime's mouth plates before he shook his head and spoke.

"No, Ratchet. She didn't return for me…" When his voice drifted away, Ratchet looked at him, only to see his gaze focused on the doorway. The medic turned to see what had caught Prime's attention, and he paused in surprise at what he saw.

Will Lennox was standing there, his hazel eyes flicking from Ratchet to Optimus and back, and when he saw that he had their full attention, he cleared his throat slightly before he spoke.

"Am I…interrupting?" Immediately, Optimus shook his head, dropping to a knee fluidly and offering Will his hand as a kind smile crossed his face.

"Of course not, William. You want to see her, don't you?" Will smiled slightly in response as he climbed into Prime's palm, then the mech rose to his feet and gently set the human on the berth. Will immediately made his way to the femme's head, and both mechs saw the sadness that crossed his face when he realized that she wasn't online. Slowly, he reached out a hand to touch her muzzle, gently running his hand across her nose as Optimus finished what he was saying.

"You see, Ratchet? She didn't return for me…she returned for him."

* * *

><p>Will had stayed with Warrior Star for…he didn't even know how long, just running his hands across the complicated gears and plates of armor that made up her face as he listened to Optimus and Ratchet nattering in the background. He didn't give a crap what they said really…he just wanted to be near the femme.<p>

_Why am I so…so…enthralled with this particular femme? I've been around dozens of Autobots, mechs and femmes both, and never had this kind of connection with one, not even Ironhide…what is it about her that keeps bringing me back?_ The soldier couldn't help but wonder as he watched her optics in the naïve hope that they might flicker and come online. He stared at her optics for what felt like forever, thinking about their unique color, and remembering how mesmerizing her gaze was every time she lowered her huge, bronze head so that she could look right into his eyes.

Will heard the med bay door hiss open behind him, but he didn't care, so he kept staring at her face, even when he heard Optimus's surprised reaction to their…guest.

"Shadowfang? Is everything all right?" Will grimaced slightly when he realized which of the three of Warrior Star's brothers that Optimus had addressed.

_It's that steely gray mech that always seems so suspicious about me…wonderful._ Will thought as the mech replied, and it was then that he realized that he had never heard the massive steel colored wolf speak.

"Yes, Prime. If I may, I would like some time alone with my sister. Please." His voice was deep and reverberated through the room, and Will could feel the vibrations in his chest. The mech's tone brooked no room for argument, and Will heard Ratchet and Optimus's footsteps as they left, the door hissing closed behind them when they went. Then he heard the big wolf approaching, though his footsteps were much quieter than any other Autobot Will knew.

The mech approached from behind him, walking around the berth until he was on the opposite side and Will could see his bright red optics. The mech's gaze was on him, but Will didn't raise his eyes, still gently running a hand across a scar on Warrior Star's muzzle as he leaned against the femme's jaw. Finally Shadowfang spoke, and what he said surprised Will enough that he raised his head and met the mech's gaze.

"I do not believe we have ever formally met. I am Shadowfang, second brother to Warrior Star. I have heard your name in passing, I believe…you are Colonel William Lennox, is that correct?" When their gazes met, the soldier saw nothing threatening in the mech's optics, only curiosity. Coming back to his senses, Lennox nodded, then spoke.

"Yes, I'm Lennox. My apologies, I believe you said you wanted to spend some personal time with your sister." The human started to get up, then froze when Shadowfang raised a massive paw.

"Actually, you're fine where you are. I am quite curious about you, Lennox. That and I want to know what it is my sister sees in you…I haven't seen her act like this about anyone in a very long time, you see." With that, the mech placed his forepaws on the berth and pulled himself up, carefully curling up behind his sister before placing his head down to stare at the human.

"She has cared for no one outside of our pack since her exile…and for most of that time, she was lost to us, and we feared that she was offline. Finding her, and on an inhabited planet of all places, was more of a shock to us than you may realize. I don't know if you've heard any of my family's history…if you haven't, would you like me to tell you some of it?" Instantly Will nodded, settling down with his back to one of Warrior Star's forepaws as he watched Shadowfang carefully. The mech's red optics lost focus as he went back in his memories, thinking about something before he spoke, his tone fond but strained with emotion.

"The pack, we four Cybertronian wolves, are some of the very few remaining mechs and femmes online belonging to a class of Cybertronian known as the Guardian class. This class was created specifically to patrol Cybertron and defend it from any threats that presented themselves. Our creators, Saber and Stardust, were two of the very best. This was back before the Great War started, before there were Autobots or Decepticons, back when Cybertron was a great and prosperous city. We were happy once, my sister, my brothers, and I…we had friends, playmates, mechs and femmes that we grew to respect and love. Our creators were well respected, and we were expected to follow their trail and become Guardians when we were ready. Everything was…so peaceful then." Will couldn't help but notice the sadness in the gray wolf's gaze as his voice drifted away and he buried himself a little deeper in his memories, then he spoke again.

"And then…then came the rumors of the war that was coming. Talk of factions, one behind Megatron, one behind Optimus. Whispers of dangerous Cybertronians stalking the night that even the Guardians couldn't find. Then Shockwave started holding lectures about this new technology he had come up with, supposedly a way to reform out of line Cybertronians, wipe their memories, teach them how to act right. Things like that. How he was looking for a willing test subject to try this on…it was a load of slag, but he was so convincing, no one questioned it. He even presented some pretty well documented test results from experiments he had conducted on his…pets. But he never could get a volunteer." The mech's voice drifted off, so Will cautiously ventured a question.

"So…how did Warrior Star play into all this?" At his inquiry, Shadowfang's optics came back into focus, and he gave Will an empty smile.

"The day everything went wrong, my brothers and I were out running. Warrior Star and I were having a playful argument, as siblings are apt to do. She was patrolling the manufacturing district of Cybertron, having already stepped up and been sworn in to the Guardian class alongside our creators. She was giving me all kinds of slag about whatever we were talking about when she was cut off mid-sentence. I sensed her alarm through the bond, then a brief flash of pain and minor paralysis…then she just…was gone. I thought she had been knocked offline, so I stopped running to test the bond a little more. Then my brothers and I started getting the communications' bursts about something going on in the manufacturing district, some random reports about injured mechs, so we returned. We didn't know she was the one doing the injuring until we arrived…by then, we were too late." The crushing sorrow and pain in the mech's gaze made Will's heart squeeze painfully, then Shadowfang continued.

"We got there, just in time to see Andante charge forward to face her. When she turned…the look on her face, her optics, everything, it just scared the pit out of me. Her optics were insane, and they were red. Blood red, even darker than mine. She looked like a crazed monster, her claws and dentals gleaming with energon and her optics blazing with rage and insanity. Andante tried talking to her, but we could tell it didn't get through. Then she leaped…" Shadowfang paused again, shuttering his optics as Will's hands clenched reflexively.

"Poor Andante…he didn't even try to move…she just shredded him. Swiftpaw got in there and snapped in her face to get her attention, then Keystone and I body-slammed her. It took a few more hits and several tries over the bond to get her attention and to get her calmed down, but by then, the damage was done. Megatron and his faction wanted her exiled at the least. Some even called for her to be executed. Optimus and his lot wanted answers…but the others weren't willing to wait. She was driven out the next day. We eventually got our answers though…Shockwave and his stupid experiments were to blame. But by then, Cybertron was a wreck and the Autobots and Decepticons were in an all-out war. The three of us ran when our creators were killed…we've been running ever since. Until now. Now, we found our sister. Now we're taking a stand. The Decepticons die, or we do. We owe our creators, our sister, and ourselves no less." The mech went silent again, and it was quiet for several minutes before Will asked another question.

"So you're joining the Autobots?" Shadowfang shook his head before he spoke again.

"No…Warrior Star has made her opinion clear, and we stand with her. The factions destroyed our family, our city, and our world…the Autobot and Decepticon war has very nearly destroyed our race as well. We will stand with the Autobots until the Decepticons are gone, then…then we will do what we have always done. We are all Guardians by birth and Guardians at spark…and the Guardians have no faction. Even after the war broke out, they never did, and most of them died because of it. Megatron didn't like neutrals, you see. We owe it to our creators to live their legacy, no matter the cost. And if need be, we'll die to defend that legacy. It is our birthright and our duty. And if there is one thing the four of us pride ourselves on, it is the fact that we serve our race as a whole, not just one Cybertronian. We have no leader and no faction, but we have our duty to our creators as Guardians. We will serve as Guardians and we will die as Guardians. Every single one of us."

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><p><strong>AN: So Shadowfang and Will have a talk about their favorite femme. Another re-run of Shockwave's test backfire, but with some added detail, more of the back history of Saber and Stardust and their family. A small look into why the wolves don't have a faction...I'm sure I'll dig into that more later.**

**And things are getting interesting in my neck of the woods...my posts might slow down a bit. We'll see.**

**To my reviewers, favoriters, and followers, thanks so much for your readership! You are wonderful people! :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	23. Limbo

After her creators disappeared, Warrior Star found herself in darkness, just as they had told her she would be. But as she stood there, her spark raging with grief and agony at having seen her creators and spoken to them, then having them torn away again, she realized something was different. She could feel the ground beneath her paws. She could smell the air. She could see…barely, but she could see nonetheless.

The dirt beneath her paws was cold and hard, and the air was stale and musty. Her cobalt blue optics lit in the darkness, and she found herself in what appeared to be some sort of cavern-like structure. Cautiously, she stepped forward, the freezing air pulling the warmth from her armor like a greedy beast as she swung her massive bronze head from side to side, searching for any threats nearby.

Step by step, she made her way through the darkness and the cold, finding that though she was on a path of sorts, the place she was in seemed to have no end. Carefully skirting a fallen stalagmite, she suddenly slammed all four paws down, her head jerking up as she bared her dentals in a snarl when she found herself optic-to-optic with Ravage.

"You! You are offline, dead, gone forever!" Warrior Star bellowed, glaring into the gleaming red optics of the dead Predacon. The eerie, hissing laughter that emerged from his chest made her narrow her optics, then she realized that his body still bore the wounds she had inflicted…the wounds that had killed him.

"Yes, wolf scum, I am dead, killed by you. But you have entered the realm that I found myself in when my spark was crushed in your jaws. I have…unfinished business. Now I can finish it." With that, the dead Predacon leaped for her, but the wolf still had every bit of the speed she possessed in the mortal realm.

Shooting to one side, Warrior Star let Ravage go by, then she twisted in a blur of gleaming bronze to slam her forepaws on his back, and she heard the satisfying crack when his spine snapped. Screeching in pain, the Predacon fell, trying to push himself up on his forepaws to turn and snap at her, but she was faster. The wolf slammed one paw down on the back of his neck, forcing his face into the cold dirt as she dug her lethal black claws into his armor and bared her dentals again. Then she leaned down to hiss in his ear.

"You should have gone to the Pit, where I sent you before, Ravage. This time, I promise, you will." With that, her jaws closed on the back of his neck, and his body stiffened before going slack, his optics flickering and dimming before the light died completely. She stayed there until she heard his spark stutter before it went deathly silent, then she let go.

Stepping off of the dead Predacon, the wolf let loose with a snort, then turned to continue on her path. She didn't know where it went or why she was following it. All she knew was that something deep in her spark told her she was on the right path. So she proceeded onward into the darkness, unaware of the optics following her in the dark.

* * *

><p>Shadowfang watched the human, Lennox, carefully trace the complex patterns in the gears of Warrior Star's face as they sat in companionable silence following the wolf's brief recitation of his family's history on Cybertron, and the legacy of the Guardian class. The human spoke so suddenly that the steel gray mech flicked his ears in an unconscious expression of surprise.<p>

"I have…no legacy. Not anymore…" Will said, keeping his eyes on the bronze armored face of the femme as Shadowfang slowly raised his massive head, his red optics studying the human curiously. When he said nothing more, the mech asked a question.

"Why do you say that, Lennox?" The human smiled so sadly that Shadowfang sensed that a tragic story was forthcoming. He wasn't disappointed.

"I had a family once…a wife and a beautiful little girl…" He murmured, and Shadowfang's ears twitched again before he asked another question.

"Wife?" Will raised his eyes and met the mech's gaze, smiling slightly in understanding before he clarified.

"I believe you call them sparkmates. And my little girl was my daughter, my creation, I suppose. They were…everything to me. My world…and then…then…one day…a Decepticon killed them. He took my family away…just like that. They were gone. Forever." Tears had formed in the soldier's hazel eyes, and Shadowfang felt pity welling up in his spark.

"You have my…condolences, Lennox. I did not know." The soldier wiped a rough hand across his eyes, giving the wolf a slightly teary smile before his gaze returned to Warrior Star.

"She knew, Shadowfang. I don't know how, but Warrior Star knew that I had lost someone dear to me…she knew that I had suffered similar to her, and to you, and your pack. It was like…she remembered me, or someone very similar to me…perhaps there was a mech she knew that I remind her of. I really don't know. I just know that she understood, where no one else could. And really, that's all that matters to me." The entire time Will was speaking, Shadowfang was thinking very hard, trying to figure out what it was about this one human that had caught his sister's attention. The answer struck him so suddenly that he snapped his jaws in surprise, making Will jump and stare at him.

"My apologies, Lennox. I do that sometimes when I have realized something. I think I know who you remind Warrior Star of, and why it is she is so slagging determined to make sure you are safe." Slowly, the steel gray mech lowered his head back onto the berth, his bright red optics studying the human intently as Lennox narrowed his hazel eyes questioningly. Shadowfang thought about it for a few seconds more as he stared at Will, then a slight smile crossed his jaws and he spoke again.

"Did Warrior Star ever tell you about a black saboteur named Andante?" Lennox blinked in surprise but responded quickly.

"No…about all I know about Andante is that he is the mech she killed when she was under the control of Shockwave's virus. That and he was the son, erm, sparkling, of Jazz." Shadowfang nodded, still deep in thought.

_Of course she didn't tell him about Andante…I should have seen it before._ Bringing his processor back to the present, Shadowfang focused on Will before he spoke again.

"I can't speak for my sister, Lennox…but I don't think asking her to tell you about Andante is a bad idea. Hearing about that mech may give you more of the answers you seek about my sister, and about the pack. Anything more, I cannot say. Warrior Star is our pack leader, and she is also what we call the Teller of Tales. She is a living, walking history of our race, of the Guardian class, and of the Great War. Speak to her about it sometime…she is one of the very few Tellers left. I will end my story here…only she can give you the answers you seek now."

* * *

><p>Will stared at Shadowfang, unable to comprehend the wolf's simple, yet complex thought process.<p>

_Can't get a straight answer out of any of these damn 'Bots of late…_ He thought grumpily before Shadowfang's red optics dimmed slightly. He watched the mech until his optics brightened and he slowly got to his feet before leaping carefully off the berth.

"My apologies, but I must go…my brothers need me. Good day, Colonel Lennox." And just like that, the steel gray mech was gone, and Will was alone. He turned his gaze back to the bronze femme, going back to tracing patterns on her face.

_I'll ask her about Andante when she wakes up…maybe I'll get those answers Shadowfang was hinting at._

* * *

><p>Warrior Star had been walking for awhile when she sensed that she was not alone. But she could also sense that her follower was pretty far back and that she was currently in no danger.<p>

_I'll just ignore this one, see what happens._ She thought, increasing her speed slightly when the air brightened marginally and the air warmed slightly. Her cobalt blue optics brightened when she saw a light in the distance, and she broke into a run.

_Finally, an exit!_ She thought joyfully as the light grew bigger as she drew closer. After a minute of running, she was within leaping distance of it, and as she gathered herself and launched into the air, she chanced a look over her shoulder and spotted the mech that had been following her.

Pure, bright _white_ optics greeted her, glowing so brightly that the light from them reflected off his gleaming black armor, and had she not been in midair, the bronze wolf would have frozen in her tracks.

_No…it can't be…_ She was cut off mid-thought as she flew through the portal of light, and everything she had known faded around her. She struggled, trying her slagging hardest to turn around and go back, but she couldn't. Then she realized she was in pain, and missing most of her armor.

Cobalt blue optics coming online, Warrior Star realized with a start that she couldn't even raise her head, and before she really realized it, the mech's name slipped from her mouth.

"Andante…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wrote about half this chapter a couple days ago, and just didn't like it. Like, at all. Went back through it tonight, decided it wasn't as bad as I originally thought, so I finished it off.**

**The idea of 'limbo' I guess you could call it has always just been a fun little place for me to explore as a writer...it's one of those places where any-friggin-thing can happen, so...mayhem anyone? And the way I looked at it with this chapter is quite simple...if Warrior Star can run into (and kill...again) Ravage, then THEORETICALLY, she could also run into someone she cares about, someone like Andante, whose end was tragic, accidental, and unforgiven. I'll dig further into that later, I'm sure...I really want to write Andante into this story a little more, kinda like I did with Saber, Stardust, and Nova. Speaking of Nova, I need to 'find' Moonflight again...haven't seen him in forever.**

**Anyway, not the most pleased with this chapter, but I've written worse. Seriously, I know I have, and this is a couple days overdue so here you go. Hope ya'll like it!**

**To my favoriters, reviewers, and followers, you have my gracious thanks as always! You people rock my world!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	24. Armored Up

Will jumped when Warrior Star shifted slightly and her internal systems whined, her beautiful cobalt blue optics flickering slightly before fully coming online, but she just sat there. As he stared at her, wondering what the hell was going on, she spoke, but he knew that it wasn't to him.

"Andante…" Will studied her through narrowed eyes. Warrior Star was awake and online, but she wasn't…there. Her cobalt blue optics were unfocused and she seemed dazed. She was nothing like the caring, yet ferocious, Cybertronian wolf that he had come to know, and that he was learning to care for.

"Warrior Star?" Will's voice was soft but her reaction was immediate. Her dulled optics zeroed in on him before focusing and clearing somewhat. Slowly, the wolf rolled onto her stomach, gently lifting her head from the human's hands before she turned and gently pressed the tip of her nose to his chest. She shuttered her optics and breathed in slowly, then her optics flashed back online and she focused on him again.

"Will." Was all she said, but the emotion in her voice and the glow in her optics spoke more than words ever could. He reached out and gently placed a hand on her muzzle, then he smiled.

"Welcome back, Warrior Star." Before the wolf could reply, the med bay door hissed open to reveal Ironhide. Both Warrior Star and Will turned to stare at the black mech for a moment, then he spoke.

"Your armor is done, femme. Took me long enough to repair it. You sure are hard on armor." The weapons' specialist said, then he turned to reveal a few crates that were filled with Warrior Star's repaired armor. She raised her head, her optics brightening as plate after plate of gleaming bronze armor was pulled from the crates, along with something unexpected.

"You made me a new claw set?" The wolf asked in surprise, studying the gleaming black claws that Ironhide had placed on the berth near her paws.

"Ratchet happened to mention that your current set was getting worn…that and you broke several of them during the fighting. I cast you a new set while I was repairing your armor…not like it took me any extra time or anything." He replied gruffly. Warrior Star studied him from the corner of her optics for a moment, then a small smile passed fleetingly across her fearsome jaws.

"Thank you, Ironhide." She murmured as she carefully shed each set of claws before replacing them. She held up a forepaw, studying the razor-sharp edges on her new claws as they gleamed with a deadly brilliance under the light.

Warrior Star lowered her paw and slowly stood as Ironhide picked up the first plate of armor and approached. With a few taps and a gentle click, the first plate of gleaming bronze armor was fastened to the wolf's frame, and Ironhide began the long, slow process of reattaching the wolf's many thick, heavy armor plates. She stood quietly as the minutes stretched into an hour, then two, as plate after plate of armor found its place on her huge frame, her head low and her optics unfocused.

Will stared at her from his perch on the berth, his eyes narrowed as he studied her cautiously. Something was bothering her, and he couldn't help but wonder if it had to do with the mech called Andante.

_Warrior Star said his name when she came online. Was she dreaming of the mech?_ Will wondered as Ironhide attached the last plate and stepped back, studying the wolf critically before nodding in approval. Slowly, she raised her massive head, her cobalt blue optics flickering before brightening as she focused her gaze on Ironhide. The femme stared at the mech for a moment before she turned, her movements as fluid as water trickling over stone, then she walked out of the med bay doors on pawsteps as silent as death. Just like that, the femme was gone.

* * *

><p>Every step she took was absolutely silent. Her head was low, and her optics were dim. Every mech and femme she passed skirted her widely, staring at her in suspicion, but she just kept moving. She couldn't find it in her spark to care about what they thought. Out of the corner of her optics, she spotted her brothers approaching, and she raised her head to look at them but kept moving. She tugged on all of their sparks gently before she spoke to them through the bond.<p>

_I need time, brothers. Watch over the base while I am gone._ The mechs halted and stared at her, then Shadowfang spoke.

_We understand, Warrior Star. But what of Will Lennox?_ The femme halted with one huge clawed paw in midair as her cobalt blue optics met her brother's red stare.

_I leave him under your care, Shadowfang. Watch over him until I return._ Brother and sister stared at each other for a long moment before he lowered his head marginally and dimmed his optics in respect.

_By your will, Warrior Star._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Rather short chapter. I know. But I wanted to get something written and put up...it's been a long week. Working on getting settled in and used to everything...I forgot just how much of a shock it can be to transfer to a new unit. I was used to it in training, since I was moved around a lot that first year. Then I got all nice and settled back in Texas...ugh. Four years, gone in a flash, so it seems. Anyway...**

**Yes, memories of Andante are bugging Warrior Star. Severely. Didn't expect anything less, did you? I also wanted to 'evolve' Will's growing bond with the rest of the pack, hence why I had Shadowfang ask Warrior Star about Will specifically. Should have some pack interaction with Will next chapter. Should be interesting. We'll see how long it takes me to get that next one written and up...sheesh. Not really that busy, just getting settled in here. That is a rather time consuming process, as I'm re-learning. Haha.**

**Thank you, as always, to my reviewers, favoriters, and followers! You guys are awesome!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	25. I Remember You

The utter silence and speed with which Warrior Star had disappeared had Will Lennox concerned…to say the least. He scrambled down from the berth he was perched on before jogging to the human sized door, getting outside just in time to see Shadowfang dim his optics and incline his head to the huge bronze femme before she turned and headed towards the setting sun. Before the soldier could call to her, she launched herself into a run, racing away at nearly her full speed. She disappeared in the distance before he could blink.

Confused now, Will headed for the three mechs, their optics trained on the place where Warrior Star had last been visible. Sensing his approach, Keystone turned, his golden optics locking on to the human as Swiftpaw twitched an ear at the soldier's approach but didn't turn. Shadowfang's armored head swiveled to face Will like Keystone, but unlike his brother, his red optics were…gentle. _Almost like Warrior Star…_ Will thought, then he spoke.

"Where's she going?" His voice reached the three mechs at the same time, and Swiftpaw finally turned to face him as Shadowfang's optics grew thoughtful. Keystone was the one that finally answered, after he studied Will carefully for a minute.

"We do not know, William Lennox. She merely told us that she needed some time alone. She is our pack leader…we have to respect the boundaries she sets, or face the consequences." Keystone's words both surprised and troubled the colonel, and he pondered the mech's words before replying.

"Consequences? You are her brothers. What consequences?" Will saw it instantly, the look of pain, regret, and memories long forgotten that flashed through the black mech's optics, but it was Swiftpaw that replied.

"Warrior Star is our sister, our family, but she is also our leader. We…need to respect her. She can, and will, punish us for stepping out of line, and she is unafraid to do so. The boundaries are there for a reason…it is what makes us so effective in battle." The gold mech's answer still didn't help Will any, and on seeing the human's frustration, Shadowfang spoke up.

"What we mean, Will, is that she'll bite us or claw us. Something simple like that. Or she'll leave one of us on patrol with no recharge for a few days…that one is a little more harsh. That is only as far as she has ever gone. Don't pity us…and don't judge her for it. It is the reality of our existence, and it is what is necessary for us to survive. Do you not, as a soldier, have rules and regulations to follow? And will you not face punishment for breaking them?" The mech's question, and the equivocation that he made between Warrior Star's punishments and the military's, made Will understand completely.

"Yes, I do, and thank you for explaining. Now I understand." Will didn't blame the femme for doing what she had to do. He had to assume that the same had happened to her when the pack's creators were still alive. _She had to learn somewhere, and from someone. Not many go around punishing others without having gone through the same themselves, and not without knowing how effective the punishment was when they had never experienced it themselves._

Will turned his gaze back to the setting sun, and all three mechs watched him for a moment before they each did the same. _She's out there, somewhere…all I can hope for is that she will return soon. I still have so much to ask, so much to learn…about her, about Andante, and about the pack. She has the answers I seek, but all I can do now is wait._

* * *

><p>Warrior Star ran until long after the sun had set, and even then, she kept running. Ratchet had done his work well; her injuries did not pain her, and the welds and seals on her lines and to her joints and cables were holding perfectly. Ironhide's repairs to her armor were flawless as well; each plate flexed and moved in complete sync with her frame. Both mechs were experts in their chosen craft, and she was grateful to them both for their time and their efforts.<p>

_I need to remember to thank them both, sometime…_ Warrior Star thought as she finally cut her stride, steadily slowing until she was at a walk. Steam rose from her armor as her cobalt blue optics glowed in the night, giving her an eerie, almost ghostly appearance under the waning moon. Her pawsteps were silent, as always, but she knew that the keen audio receptors of certain Cybertronian classes were more sensitive than others. Including the particular mech she was currently moving towards.

One of her scarred ears twitched when she heard him move nearby, and she knew that he had heard her as well. She stopped walking, coming to a halt easily as she heard the air whisper through his metal feathers as he took to the sky behind her. Warrior Star kept completely still as he flew in a long, slow circle before dropping from the sky to land several feet in front of her, folding his wings quietly as his red optics met hers unflinchingly.

"Moonflight." The wolf murmured, inclining her head ever so slightly to the mech as he returned the gesture respectfully.

"Warrior Star. What brings you to my roost at this hour?" His question made her twitch ever so slightly, then she sat down slowly, reaching up to her shoulder with one of her forepaws to scratch at an itch as she stared into his dark red optics.

"The Battle of Chicago left me in rather…rough condition. The medics had to offline me temporarily to repair the damage. I nearly crossed the bridge into eternity…but my creators stopped me. However, my creators were not the only ones that I saw…a very pretty femme stopped by to meet me while I was there. Her designation was Nova…do you remember her?" Warrior Star couldn't miss the spark-crushing agony that flashed through the mech's optics, and he had to blink a few times to clear his vision.

"Yes, I remember her…she was my femme creator. A Predacon, like me, but with no chosen faction. And I finally managed to remember someone else…this little bronze wolf pup that used to come chase me into trees and knock me into bushes and bark at me and chase her tail. Do you remember her, Warrior Star?" Moonflight's words were no less of a blow to the femme than hers had been to him. Had she not been sitting already, she would have fallen; she still swayed slightly before shaking her head and staring into the mech's optics again.

"So you do remember me. It's been a very long time since we saw each other, mech. Not including our scuffle a few weeks ago. I didn't…think it was you, not until I met Nova in the other world. Then I realized who you were. It…pained me to realize that I had forgotten you. Even moreso because you, me, and…and Andante were so close. When I remembered, it felt like a betrayal, to you, and to his memory." The wolf lowered her head, shaking it ever so slightly as Moonflight transformed into his bi-ped form, standing a few feet taller than the femme's head when she held it at its highest.

Warrior Star raised her head again, meeting Moonflight's gaze before the mech stepped forward, until they were barely a foot apart. Then he sat down at her side and put an arm around her massive shoulders, prompting the femme to lay down and lean against his side armor. Sighing softly, she dropped her armored head into his lap, shuttering her optics as he tightened his grip around her shoulders.

"How could we both have forgotten? It…almost makes no sense." She murmured as Moonflight's free hand landed on her head, gently patting her as a thoughtful hum rumbled through his chest.

"Your memories were overwritten by Shockwave's virus…you lost a lot in that mess. And I got shot several times when my femme creator…when Nova…was killed. I was there when your creators died…Nova fell with them. With their last breaths, Saber and Stardust were yelling at me to fly away, to leave them behind, because they knew they were doomed. I got hit after I took off…when I fell from the sky, I happened to land near Shockwave's main research lab. I was in forced stasis when he found me…he overwrote a lot of my memories too. It was our fight a few weeks ago that…cleared out the memory block." Moonflight's voice was quiet and steady, and Warrior Star relaxed against the mech as she went far back into her memories, remembering the tiny little mechling fluffball he used to be.

"We used to be so small, the two of us. You were that stumbling little ball of fluff and feathers…and I was a clumsy pup with paws and legs and armor that were too big for my frame. Primus, that was so long ago now…look how we've both grown." Moonflight tightened his arm around her shoulders slightly, and she settled a little more comfortably against his side armor. They sat like that for awhile before the femme raised her head to stare into his optics, then she spoke.

"You should return with me, Moonflight. My pack and I would take you in…slag, even the Autobots are a better option than the 'Cons. They're only using you, old friend." Her voice was quiet, her optics bright as she stared at the mech in the hope that he would agree. Her spark fell at the sadness that filled his optics.

"I wish I could, Warrior Star…I really wish I could. But the Decepticons are all I have…they are all I know. I can't just…run away. They won't allow it." Slowly, the femme turned her head away, then she got to her paws and slowly walked away with her massive head held low. Moonflight sprang to his feet, reaching out to her in an effort to stop her when she came to a halt anyway, and turned halfway to face him.

"Sometimes…sometimes you need to make a stand, Moonflight. Sometimes you have to let go of everything you know and forge your own destiny. And you're wrong…the 'Cons aren't all you have. You have me." With that, the bronze femme turned, leaping away at a ground-eating sprint as the mech stared at the dust left in her wake.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Don't ask me where this twist came from...I don't know. I PLEAD INSANITY BY PLOT BUNNY!**

**...yes. My little shit-head plot bunnies were gnawing on what little of my brain cells are left last night. GOD I am so tired...my mind was rolling all night, thinking about this one. Ugh. DAMN YOU, PLOT BUNNIES FROM HELL!**

**Sigh. Sorry. My plot bunnies and I have a rather...uneasy truce. They broke the line first, I swear.**

**ANYWAY, I got a bunch of reviews in my inbox last night. I love all of you! And to my readers and followers and favoriters, ya'll fall into my 'favorite people' category. Ya'll rock!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	26. Lost

Warrior Star was a wreck. She was just really, _really_ good at hiding it. First Andante, now Moonflight…her best friends. One dead and gone forever, the other…beyond redemption. _He's a murderer...__  
><em>

**_Things are said that we don't mean_**

The bronze femme ran on, her systems cycling the cool night air in a frantic effort to bring her internal temperature down as she sped up, moving faster and faster and faster. _Moonflight killed Will's family...he killed them._

**_Hope is found and power filled_**

As the miles disappeared beneath her paws, her processor raced, and she couldn't help but wonder _why_ she was being forced to go through this…hell. _How am I going to break this to Will? How am I going to tell him that the mech responsible for his greatest loss...is my last tie to Andante, one of my very first friends?_

**_All from that one little lie_**

Her brothers sensed her rage, her pain, and her turmoil, and all three attempted to calm her through the bond. In her agony, she shut them out, slamming down on the bonds so sharply that she knew they all physically recoiled at her action. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to care. _What am I going to do now?_

**_Deep inside, the spirit's killed_**

Warrior Star wasn't even looking where she was going. She just couldn't find it in herself to care about anything anymore. She had found her brothers, yes, and she had remembered Moonflight, yes. But then…then the mech refused to come back. After everything they had been through together, all those years they spent together as sparklings…and he chose his faction over his best friend. _The factions seem to mean more to these mechs and femmes than anything left in this mortal realm..._

**_Know the pain that lies inside_**

Her massive silver dentals were bared in a helpless snarl of hatred and rage as she felt her processor spinning into the realm of insanity, knowing that the Decepticons had not only taken Andante from her, they had taken Moonflight, too. _I'll kill them. I'll kill them all._

**_Hide it all from prying eyes_**

The ground almost disappeared from beneath the bronze femme's paws, and it took a huge effort on her part to not catapult herself over a cliff. She slid, her claws slicing deep into the dirt and stone beneath her as she slowed just enough to turn and shoot off on a parallel course to the jagged cliff. _First my friend Andante, then my creators, now Moonflight. When will this end?_

**_Hold it close, keep it still_**

Her thoughts raged, bordering on the edge of being maniacal as she raged and snarled over something she couldn't control. She had known Moonflight almost as long as she had been online, and it ripped her spark to pieces, knowing that she had found him, only to have him turn his back on her. For his slagging faction, a faction of cowards and murderers. _A swift death is too kind for them...they need to suffer for what they have done._

**_Piece by piece, the spirit dies_**

Now Warrior Star remembered why it was that she truly _despised_ the factions, not even the Autobots and the Decepticons, but the very idea of the factions themselves. They forced you to choose a side, whether you truly believed in the cause or were just following someone you cared for. Moonflight had never really had a choice, not with his femme creator prowling the mists outside of eternity and his mech creator being the second in command to Megatron. _I cannot blame Moonflight...it is not his fault...that slagger Starscream was all he could remember after he lost Nova..._

**_One can live with a broken heart_**

Warrior Star couldn't help but wonder just how many more mechs and femmes she would lose that she cared for, whether to the war or to the stories that followed her like a plague. The stories of her destructive power, and of how she had torn Andante to pieces in front of the factory workers in the manufacturing district that she had destroyed with her own paws. _Will I ever prove them wrong?_

**_Carry on, no matter the cost_**

The bronze wolf ran on, her paws carrying her to Primus-knows-where as alerts started flashing through her processor, warning her that her systems were starting to overheat. _This is never going to end...I'm cursed with this burden for the rest of eternity._

**_But once the spirit breaks and fades_**

She didn't care, pushing past the warnings that her frame was beginning to weaken under the strain of her pell-mell running. _I'll never be able to run far enough or fast enough to leave the stories and the rumors, the whispers and the stares, behind. I'll never get away..._

**_Everything else is surely lost_**

Finally, Warrior Star slammed to a halt, sending rocks and dirt flying from beneath her churning paws as she skidded before stopping at the edge of the cliff she had been following for who knows how many miles. _How much more must I suffer before I'm finally allowed to rest?_

**_Feel the fear and sense of loss_**

She stared at the horizon, her optics focusing on nothing as the warnings and alarms blaring through her processor slowly started to shut off as her system finally cooled down, steam hissing from every joint in her body as she stood still. _Will I ever be able to find peace?_

**_When trust is broken, what's the cost_**

Slowly, the femme sat down, feeling her entire frame beginning to shake from the sheer strain she had just put it through. It was then that she realized what a fool she was. _I was a stupid young femme then...it seems that even now, after everything, I still haven't learned..._

**_Betrayed and shattered and left to die_**

Warrior Star fell on her side, trembling so hard that her frame creaked in protest. She shuttered her optics, gritting her dentals at the agony roiling through her spark, when she realized that everything she thought she knew, everything that she believed…was a lie. _Why?_

**_Beyond redemption, a soul is lost_**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ...again, I blame the plot bunnies. As a note, the regular italics are Warrior Star's thoughts...I know they're wild and random, but whenever I've had a small freak out/breakdown/whatever, my thoughts sure as hell aren't lucid. They're a jumbled up mess of silly string and plastic wrap. You know how that works...you can never get that crap untangled. You gotta tear it apart.**

**On a more serious note, I kinda sorta needed to have Warrior Star have some sort of breakdown...everything's going shit-crazy and falling apart faster than she can even track it. And when it comes down to it, falling apart when you're alone is much better than having witnesses. Speaking from experience here.**

**The poem that is in bold italics and spaced in between each little 'section' is one that I wrote on a very dark night of my own a year or so back...I have it posted on my deviantART account. The title is 'Lost'. It was...ironically fitting for this little freak out, and it is actually what inspired this particular chapter.**

**Don't get me wrong, I DESPISE drama...but a little drama now and again is what makes us human. And sometimes the drama to a story makes it a little richer, makes the characters a little more believable...but that's just my theory.**

**And big brownie points to my reviewer, Minimus Prime, for remembering that Moonflight is the mech responsible for the deaths of Sarah and Annabelle Lennox. Good catch, but crap...now I have to find a way to explain that. Originally, I was planning on having Warrior Star track Moonflight down and beat the slag out of him last chapter BUT them evil little plot bunnies of mine had a different idea than me...bloody hell. *runs off to try and write next chapter before plot bunnies throw me off again***

**To my wonderful reviewers, favoriters, followers, and readers, my thanks to you all! Seeing those alerts in my email always makes me feel so loved. XD**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	27. Confusion

After Warrior Star raced away, Will sat with her brothers quietly, simply waiting for the mighty bronze femme to return. The human was sitting on a big rock near the three mechs, and he turned his gaze from the sky to study them. _They are impressive, all four of them,_ he thought as he looked over each mech in turn.

Keystone was standing quietly, his massive frame relaxed as he watched the horizon where his sister had disappeared. He had been standing for the entire time, which Will couldn't help but be impressed by. She had already been gone for a couple hours, yet the mech hadn't moved, nor did he show any signs of being in any discomfort. _A true soldier, that one,_ Will thought, then he turned his gaze to the next.

Swiftpaw had spent the first hour pacing, his paws leaving deep impressions in the dirt as he moved in a circle around his brothers and the human, until he finally grew tired of it and sat down. The golden mech's green optics were dim as he stared at Keystone. _Whatever he's thinking of is really bothering him…he seems like such an expressive mech._ Then Will turned his gaze to the last mech.

Shadowfang sat the nearest to the human, his steel gray armor gleaming in the sunlight as he studied the clouds above them. Feeling the human's gaze, Shadowfang lowered his huge head, his flame red optics meeting Will's hazel eyes as the soldier and the wolf stared at each other.

_Shadowfang is so much like Warrior Star…_ Will thought as he studied the emotions in the mech's gaze. His optics held the same warmth and the same wisdom as the femme's, the only difference being that she was older and wiser and had seen so much more than her brothers had.

At the same time, the human sighed and the mech vented softly, and they both turned to stare at the sky again. The sun was setting, but the three mechs didn't show any signs of moving, and Will wasn't going anywhere until he knew what was going on. He settled himself in, thinking back to the many times he had been left to wait for long stretches of time during different periods in his military career. _That's all this is, just another down period waiting for a flight or for a ride. I can handle this…I've done it before._

Will laid down, squirming a little to find a comfortable spot on the rock he was on. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Shadowfang looking at him but thought nothing of it. Then the mech slowly settled onto his stomach before reaching out a paw to pick the human up, gently setting him down near his side armor before the mech lowered his head to the ground. A little surprised, Will hesitated for a moment before scooting back until he was leaning against the mech's warm steel gray armor, finding that he was surprisingly comfortable as Shadowfang moved his armored head just a little closer to the human. Before Will could thank him, the mech spoke, his deep voice quiet and gentle. _Just like Warrior Star…_

"My sister would expect nothing less of me, Lennox." Will watched as the wolf shuttered his flame red optics, then he allowed a smile to cross his face as he closed his eyes as well. _What an amazing bunch of Cybertronians._

* * *

><p>Moonflight had seen the veiled disappointment and pain in Warrior Star's cobalt blue optics, just before she had turned and raced away. And he hated himself for being the one to cause her such pain. <em>I have to find her…I can't let her believe that I've abandoned her, because I haven't…have I?<em>

With his own spark roiling in uneasiness and confusion, Moonflight transformed into beast mode, taking to the sky on his massive wings as his dark red optics started scouring the landscape below for any sign of the gigantic femme. Even though it was dark, his optics were keen, and he could see the deep pawtracks in the dirt and the massive scars left by her lethal claws. _She's in agony…this is all my fault._

With that thought racing through his processor, Moonflight sped up, starting to become desperate to find the femme. His search stretched from minutes into an hour, and then even longer, when he came to the edge of a cliff. His spark stuttered in his chest with an overwhelming feeling of dread, and he dove, hitting the ground with a thud that made the ground cave beneath his talons as he hurried to the edge and looked down.

After a few seconds of looking, and not seeing any signs of the femme's broken body below, he turned, studying the ground beneath him a little more closely. It was then that he saw the slide marks and the deep gouges her claws had left in the stone as she had slid and then turned to avoid plummeting over the edge.

Relief filled him, and he raised his head to look in the direction she had gone, then he took to the sky again. _I have to be getting closer…I have to._ He thought as he pushed his frame nearly to its limits in his efforts to find Warrior Star.

The wolf's massive paws were leaving a clear trail that even a blind mech could follow, but Moonflight could sense the pain that had caused her to run so sloppily. _I have always known that femme to move gracefully and silently, leaving next to nothing to track her by…she is in so much pain. I have to find her._

Moonflight's search took him far across the land and stretched into the wee hours of the morning. Then he finally spotted her.

The mech's spark squeezed when he saw her standing at the edge of another cliff, steam rising from her frame, then she sat down before falling on her side. She was trembling so hard that he could hear her frame creaking under the stress. He dove, hitting the ground and clumsily transforming before hurrying to her. Out of habit, he drew his huge energon sword, instinctively checking to make sure they were in no danger before going to her and kneeling at her side, blade still drawn.

"Warrior Star…" He whispered, but got no further as an enraged howl cut him off. He had no time to turn before he was hit.

* * *

><p>Will and Shadowfang had been dozing for several hours when the steel gray mech jerked sharply and roused the human. Blinking the haze of sleep from his eyes, Will looked at the mech as he wrenched his head up to stare at his brothers.<p>

Will jumped when all _three_ of them recoiled sharply, Shadowfang coming to his feet so swiftly that the human was left sprawled on his back in surprise. He shook it off and sprang to his feet as the wolves turned to stare into the distance, each looking extremely uneasy.

"What's wrong? It's Warrior Star, isn't it?" The human asked, bringing their attention to him for a moment before Swiftpaw hurled himself forward, his green optics glittering with something that Will couldn't place. Then Keystone took off, golden optics hard as he raced after his smaller brother. Shadowfang prepared to do the same when Will yelled at the mech.

"Hey, wait! Take me with you!" The steel gray mech paused, turning his flame red optics to the little human next to him. Will could tell the mech wanted nothing more than to just leave him there and follow his brothers, so the human took a cautious step forward to touch the mech's paw as he looked into his optics.

"Please, Shadowfang." The wolf hesitated for a moment longer, then stretched out one foreleg, lowering himself enough that Will could scramble up his leg and onto his back.

"Hold on, Lennox." Was all Shadowfang said, then he leaped forward at a ground-eating sprint that left the human clinging to his armor. The landscape was a blur around Will; all he could clearly see was Keystone and Swiftpaw as Shadowfang's long strides ate the ground between them. It didn't take the huge mech long to catch up with his brothers, and they raced along to God knows where as Will focused on holding on to Shadowfang.

The human wanted to know what was wrong but he knew better than to ask with the three mechs this focused. The murderous wrath buried deep in the optics of the three of them was mute testament to what was going on. _Warrior Star is in trouble…she has to be._

With that thought running through his mind, Will clamped on to Shadowfang's armor just a little tighter, hoping with everything he had that no matter what the femme had gotten into, that she would be okay.

Time became a blur to Will as he focused everything he had into staying on Shadowfang's back. The minutes stretched into an hour, then longer, as the three mechs raced across the countryside, guided to wherever their sister was by their bonds with her as the moon started to get low in the sky.

_Has it really been that long already? Where did the time go?_ Will wondered, then he snapped his attention back to the present when he felt Shadowfang go tense beneath him.

"She's nearby…but I smell something else…" Swiftpaw's words drifted back to them, and the three mechs slowed, fanning out a little to cover more ground as they cut through a heavily wooded forest.

They emerged from the tree line at about the same time, finding themselves near the edge of a cliff. It was what was lying at the edge of said cliff that caught their attention. Will felt his heart jump into his throat at what he saw.

Warrior Star was there, lying on her side with steam rising from her huge frame as she trembled spasmodically. Kneeling over her with a huge energon sword drawn was a golden brown mech that was vaguely familiar to Will. The Decepticon symbol on his helm flashed in the waning moonlight, and immediately, Keystone let loose with a howl so filled with fury that Will cringed on Shadowfang's back.

The black mech charged, hitting the 'Con hard enough that they both nearly fell over the cliff. Swiftpaw was there a moment later to help, then Shadowfang set his dentals into his sister's scruff and dragged her away from both the edge and the fight as Will scrambled down to check the femme out. He ignored the sounds of fighting in the background as he ran to her head, patting her cheek plates as her cobalt blue optics flashed online at the mayhem around her.

"Warrior Star?" He asked, staring into her optics, then he saw a sudden fear flash through her gaze. She was on her feet so fast that it left his head spinning, and she turned to where Keystone and Swiftpaw were battling with the Decepticon.

"Brothers! Enough! Leave him be!" She bellowed, earning her a crazy look from Shadowfang, who was standing in front of her defensively.

"Sister?" His voice was filled with confusion, which only grew when she shoved him aside to get closer to the battle.

"Swiftpaw, Keystone! He is not an enemy!" Still focused on the fight, Keystone howled a response as the 'Con sent Swiftpaw rolling with a hefty kick to the side.

"He is a Decepticon, sister, and we found him standing over you with energon sword drawn!" Will looked into the femme's optics just in time to see an overwhelming rage fill her gaze, then she leaped forward.

Warrior Star's dentals flashed as she closed her jaws on Keystone's muzzle, clamping down hard enough to make him howl aloud in pain before she turned and threw him back. The black mech landed near Shadowfang with a ground-shaking crash as the bronze femme whirled and sent Swiftpaw flying with a slap of her huge paw.

Twisting in a blur of bronze armor, Warrior Star planted herself in from of the golden brown Decepticon, staring at her three shocked brothers as she bared her dentals before snarling at them.

"I said, enough. He is no enemy, brothers. You probably don't remember him, but I do. This is Nova's sparkling, another Guardian like us. This is Moonflight."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hate doing time jumps. I really do. It just doesn't make things flow the way they are supposed to, but the amount of time that passed in each section of this chapter is mostly equivalent. Or it should be.**

**Anyway, hope ya'll like the chapter. I had a couple reviews that poked at the upcoming confrontation between Will and Warrior Star because of Moonflight killing Will's family. It won't be pretty. I know that much already, from what I'm kicking around right now.**

**To my reviewers, readers, favoriters, and followers, thank you all so much! :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	28. Betrayed

Will was stunned. Warrior Star was defending a Decepticon. She was planted solidly in front of the mech, her cobalt blue optics glittering as she glared at her brothers, whom Will was certain were just as shocked as he was.

Keystone got back to his feet, shaking his head slightly as energon oozed from the wounds Warrior Star had left on his muzzle. He stared at his sister, hard, but she stared right back without flinching. Finally, the mech spoke.

"So this is Moonflight. Sister, is he not the mech responsible for…" Warrior Star didn't let him finish, cutting him off with a snarl as Will's gaze drifted to the Decepticon.

_He seems familiar but I don't think I have ever fought him before,_ Will thought as Warrior Star and Keystone argued in the background. He tuned them out, staring at Moonflight even harder as he struggled to place the mech. Then Moonflight turned his head, and Will found himself staring into a pair of dark red optics that were eerily familiar. Then it clicked.

"You…" Will's voice was quiet, but his tone brought instant silence. In his mind, Will saw a destroyed house, a beautiful woman lying in a pool of blood, and a tiny girl, her body as cold as ice.

"You are the one that killed Sarah and Annie…you murdered my family."

* * *

><p>Warrior Star felt her spark freeze at Will's tone. He was quiet and calm…too calm. The sheer devastation in his eyes made her step forward in an instinctive effort to offer him comfort, but the glare he sent her way stopped her in her tracks.<p>

"Don't. Touch. Me. You've known the whole time that he killed them but you have done nothing to punish him for it. I don't really give a damn about your reasons at this point. All I want to know is what about this mech is so meaningful to you that you would defend him, even after everything he has done. Just…tell me that." The human snarled at the femme.

For some reason that she didn't understand, his anger cut deeply into her spark, almost to her frame, and she found herself desperate to make him understand. She tried to step towards him but halted at the cold look in his eyes. Hating herself for it but knowing she had no choice, Warrior Star planted her paws and dropped her head before she answered Will's question softly.

"Moonflight was…is…my friend." It was the only thing she could say, and it ended up being all she had time to say because Will lost his mind a second later.

"Your…friend? _Your friend?_ This…this murdering Decepticon scum is your FRIEND?! How can you ignore all the pain he has caused, the lives he has destroyed, and the innocents he has killed? And you call him your _friend_!" Will's voice bordered on the edge of hysteria as his body shook with rage and a sort of tormented agony that Warrior Star had only seen once before.

Feeling her spark roiling with grief and, unexpectedly, fear, the bronze femme stepped towards Will in a desperate effort to calm him down and soothe his pain, but she froze at the maniacal shriek that emerged from his chest the second she moved towards him.

"No! You stay the _hell_ away from me! Just leave me alone!" Warrior Star vented harshly, feeling an alien moisture starting to rise behind her optics as she tried to reach for him one last time.

"Will, please, let me explain…" But the human cut her off, eyes blazing as he spun to face Shadowfang.

"I. Do. Not. Care. Shadowfang, please take me back. I can't be here…not with that mech…not after what he's done…and not with HER here." The cold, savage finality to Will's tone shattered Warrior Star, and she shuttered her optics and lowered her head as Shadowfang slowly transformed down into his alternate.

_Watch over him, brother…please._ Warrior Star whispered through the bond, relieved when Shadowfang reached back to wrap her spark in his love.

_He will come to his senses, sister. Just…give him time._ With that, Shadowfang retreated from the bond as Will hopped into the quietly idling steel gray Chevy Tahoe before they both drove away.

Warrior Star watched them leave through a haze of grief, her cobalt blue optics glowing with pain and sorrow, then she lowered her massive bronze head and shuttered her optics. She cycled her vents in the heaviest of sighs, and then she threw her head back and howled.

* * *

><p>Shadowfang was silent as Will hopped in, the mech shutting the door softly as the human buckled his seatbelt, then they pulled away. Against his self-control, Will's eyes drifted to the rearview mirror, and he couldn't ignore the look in Warrior Star's cobalt blue optics. He watched as she lowered her head, her body shuddering with one huge sigh, then she threw her head back and howled.<p>

It was agonizing. The eerie cry pierced Shadowfang's armored windows like a sabot round, and the grief in that howl ripped Will down to his bones. He wrenched his eyes from the mirror, dropping his face into his hands as the sound slowly faded on the silent air, but it echoed in his mind. Her agony was clear. She had betrayed him in the most unforgivable way, but she regretted it with everything in her huge frame.

_Let her suffer, so that she knows the agony I have suffered every day since they were taken from me. Let her know my pain as I have known it…and let's see how long it takes before she loses herself as I have._ His eyes burning with a cold hatred and a strange sense of retribution, Will raised his head and stared out the windshield as Shadowfang drove on.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So...I'm sorry this took so long. Been thinking real hard about it, that and I have some internet issues. Should be solved tonight...hopefully. Lived up to my expectations. Hope it lived up to yours.**

**Thank you to my dear readers, reviewers, favoriters, and followers! You make my day!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	29. Shifting Sands

Moonflight watched as Shadowfang drove away with his human passenger, then his dark red optics fell on Warrior Star when she threw her head back and howled. The agony in that cry took him back in his memories in less than a second, and he remembered the last time the femme had sounded so tormented.

He remembered standing in Cybertron's manufacturing district and staring down at the still form of Andante as the slain mech's energon dripped from Warrior Star's jaws. He remembered looking into her dull cobalt blue optics, seeing the disbelief, the shock and the boiling rage in her gaze. He remembered watching in frozen horror as she reared up on her hind paws, tearing her clawed forepaws across her helm with enough force that she ripped her own face open and nearly blinded herself. He remembered watching her shake with grief and pain and rage, then she screamed. It was more than just a wordless expression of her emotions; one mech's name rang clearly through the still, silent air.

"Shockwaaaave!" Warrior Star's tone was that of a wounded beast, one that had only narrowly escaped death. It was one that promised retribution in the most terrible way. It was one that you never wanted to cross paths with if you valued your life. The bronze femme was promising to avenge her slain friend in the deadliest way. And Moonflight remembered that he had prayed to a silent Primus that day, in the hopes that he would be present when Warrior Star found Shockwave and finally got her revenge for everything that he had done.

_At this rate, I may end up being a witness to that fight, just as I was the day Andante died._ Moonflight thought, then he took a step closer to the Cybertronian wolf to lay a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"For what little it is worth, I am sorry, Warrior Star." The mech's voice was quiet but she heard him, her cobalt blue optics coming online before she looked at him. The frozen pain in those optics made him cringe, then she spoke.

"Much as I appreciate the sentiment, it matters very little now. What is done is done…now we must take the necessary steps to remedy this. Both of us." Moonflight took another small step closer to the femme, leaning against her armored side as Keystone made his way to her opposite shoulder and halted while Swiftpaw barely managed to squeeze into the small space left between his siblings. The four of them sat in silence as they watched the sun slowly begin to rise over the eastern horizon.

Moonflight chanced a sideways glance at Warrior Star, finding himself frozen in shock when he saw how the sunlight burned away the deep cobalt blue of her optics, leaving only red behind. A deep, stunning, vivid red. The color of blood.

_Just like the day Andante died…_ He thought, shivering slightly in spite of himself as he turned his gaze back to the rising sun. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding from his spark.

_Something is wrong…very very wrong…_

* * *

><p>Shadowfang's spark squeezed at his sister's agonized howl, but he drove on, knowing better than to stop.<p>

_And all because of this one…slagging…human. I think I know what it is about him that has her so…curious. But I will never truly know, not without asking her._ The mech mused as his passenger sat stiffly, still with a cold hatred lingering in his eyes that Shadowfang did not like, nor did he understand.

"You are angry." He stated plainly, slightly amused when Will jumped in surprise. The human recovered swiftly though, and snarled a response that made Shadowfang's hidden optics narrow dangerously.

"Shit yeah, I'm angry. That…that _femme_ has known that Moonflight killed my family for a long time, yet she calls him a friend. She _attacked_ Swiftpaw and Keystone to defend the murdering scum! And yet, everyone is surprised that I am the only one that is angry? Please, enlighten me as to why." Were it not for the fact that he had promised Warrior Star that he would protect the human, Shadowfang would have dumped Lennox right there and left him to walk the rest of the way back to the base.

_Selfish human…his short-sightedness astounds me._ Shadowfang thought as he pulled off the road and coasted to a halt, his wheels sinking in the sand underneath him. He contemplated several different approaches that he could use in his response before he spoke, his tone soft but with a deadly edge to it.

"You like to believe that you know the reasons that guide my sister's actions, when in reality…you don't have a fragging clue. There is something about Moonflight that none of us know and that Warrior Star didn't remember until recently. You see, her processor, that which you humans refer to as the mind, was damaged nearly beyond repair by Shockwave's virus. The slagging mech programmed it to destroy most of her basic functioning processes in an effort to make her easier to control. He also designed it to destroy her memories. The only reason I was able to break through to her when she was rampaging around as the War Beast was because of my sibling bond with her. I managed to make her remember me, but not everything returned to her. She is still remembering parts of her past to this day." Will sat in silence for a few seconds after Shadowfang stopped speaking, and the mech could tell that the human was contemplating something. Then he spoke.

"So…she remembered something about Moonflight. Do you know what?" The human sounded so curious that Shadowfang hesitated before responding, surprised at the complete change in the soldier's mood.

"No…she didn't have a chance to tell us before everything went slagging crazy." The mech replied. Will opened his mouth to say something else but froze when a sudden tremor rippled through the mech's massive frame.

"Shadowfang? Something wrong?" He asked, then froze again when the mech tensed suddenly before another tremor shook the both of them.

"Yes, but not with me. It's coming from underground." The steel gray mech said before abruptly transforming, Will ending up on the plates of armor on the mech's back as he took a few swift steps away from the churning sand, swiveling to face the spot as they both watched the sands shift and ripple like waves on the ocean.

Suddenly, something erupted from the sands, flashing towards the mech and slamming into his side before he could react. He was sent flying, landing hard on his side with a sharp bark of pain and surprise, pitching the soldier off of his back by mistake. Will landed hard, the air leaving his chest in a whoosh as he lay stunned on the ground.

Both the mech and the human recovered from their shock just in time to see the sand clear just enough for them to get a glimpse of what had attacked them.

"Driller…" Will breathed, his hazel eyes wide as saucers as Shadowfang felt his energon run cold when he met the lifeless gaze of the mech controlling the mechanical monster.

"Shockwave."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Another fun one to write! Now do ya'll see why the fight between Warrior Star and Will was so important? ;)**

**Oh, the next chapter is going to be hell on wheels...Warrior Star will not be a happy femme when Shadowfang tells her about this little...hiccup. XD**

**To my wonderful reviewers, readers, favoriters, and followers, thanks so much for your readership! *hugs***

**Aaaaaand fun fact! With the addition of this chapter, The Wanderer is now the longest running story I have ever written! It doesn't have the most words but it now has the most chapters! Thanks for being kind enough to read this yarn and for all the encouragement to keep it going! *hands out cookies***

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	30. Gone

Will was frozen where he had fallen, staring at Driller and Shockwave as his heart hammered in his chest. He had no weapons to defend himself, he wasn't wearing any of his body armor…he was helpless.

_God, please, don't let me die like this._ He thought as Shockwave looked down at him before a slow, cold smile crept across his mouth plate.

"You are the human that my…errant creation was defending in Chicago. What an…unexpected gift. Please tell me, human…who do I have to thank for this?" Shockwave asked in his chilling voice, his single optic riveted on Will as the frightened soldier stared at him wordlessly. Shadowfang answered, leaping in front of the human and posting himself over the man, his massive silver dentals bared in a bone-chilling snarl that had sent many a mech and femme running over the millennia, but not Driller, not Shockwave.

"No one, scum. Leave the human alone. Better yet, leave this area. Now. Or I promise, you will both die today." The steel gray wolf snarled, his dark red optics glittering like rubies in the sunlight. If Shockwave was surprised, he didn't show it, merely smiling that same chilling smile as Driller hissed and clicked in anticipation behind him.

"You Guardians are all the same. How…tragic." At some wordless command, Driller advanced, one of the monster's tentacles shooting towards Shadowfang so suddenly that the mech had no time to dodge. The rapidly rotating tip slammed into the steel gray mech's left side, drilling through the armor plate to burrow deep into the mech's torso as he staggered to the right with a shocked howl of agony. Will cried out in horror as Shadowfang's bright blue energon started streaming down the damaged armor plate, then Shockwave spoke again.

"You will die screaming, Guardian. You and this human charge of yours both." He hissed, a soft, cruel laugh leaving his throat before the Decepticon froze in surprise at Shadowfang's reaction. The wolf slowly raised his head, panting slightly in pain but grinning madly as a wild light blazed deep in his dark red optics.

"Not if she has anything to say about it." Shadowfang snarled before he launched himself at Driller, leaving a shocked Will gawping in the dust.

* * *

><p>Keystone, Swiftpaw, Warrior Star, and Moonflight had contented themselves with staring at the rising sun for a little while, then the massive black mech stretched languidly before turning to the others.<p>

"Warrior Star, we should be getting back. The others will be concerned if we do not." Keystone's voice was quiet, but his words had the desired effect. Warrior Star looked at her brother for a moment before turning to Moonflight, staring at the golden brown mech for a few seconds before she spoke softly.

"Remember what I said before, Moonflight. Sometimes…you need to make a stand. And remember that even if you leave the Decepticons, you will not be alone. You have me." She raised a massive clawed forepaw to rest gently in the mech's hand, squeezing gently before she let go and turned to say something to her brothers, but that something was never heard.

Warrior Star sensed a whisper of surprise from Shadowfang from the bond, so she turned her attention to him out of sheer curiosity alone. Before she could question him on it, a sudden pain flared through, making her head shoot up in alarm as her cobalt blue optics filled with dread.

"Warrior Star? What is it?" Moonflight asked, taking a step closer to his old friend when he saw her sudden distress. Before she could answer, her attention was wrenched back to the bond when Shadowfang's shocked recognition of his assailants drifted through, followed swiftly by the sheer agony he felt when Driller's tentacle impaled him.

The bronze femme whirled to face Swiftpaw and Keystone, seeing the same dawning terror on their faces as she was sure was on hers. The three of them stared at each other in frozen horror for a moment, then Warrior Star reared onto her hind paws and twisted her body to face the direction that Shadowfang had gone. The second her forepaws touched the ground, she was gone, tearing across the earth at such a high rate of speed that her systems whined under the strain.

Deep in her armored chest, behind her spark, a rumbling growl started, evolving into a vicious snarl, then it finally erupted from her chest as a full-throated roar that shook the ground beneath her churning paws.

"Shockwaaaaaave!" Keystone and Swiftpaw were far behind her, unable to keep pace with her as her legendary rage mode activated, sending her tearing along even faster. But even she couldn't outrun a flight-capable Predacon that was on the hunt. Her optics caught sight of a dark blur that streaked by overhead, and she couldn't help but wonder why he came.

_Moonflight?_

* * *

><p>Will had watched Shadowfang fight a losing battle, but he couldn't help but be impressed by the mech's sheer stubborn will. The steel gray mech had been sent muzzle-first into the dirt more times than the human could count, but after every time, the mech rose and charged again, his dark red optics bright with anger as he ripped into Driller mercilessly.<p>

The energon of both the mech and the monster stained the earth; despite his wounds being more critical than Driller's, Shadowfang gave as good as he got, stripping off several plates of the monster's armor to dig deep into the sensitive wiring and send Driller's energon splattering as the beast screeched in agony before slapping the wolf aside. Will cringed when Shadowfang hit the ground with crushing force, watching in horror as Driller advanced in preparation to end the mech's life, even as the wolf staggered to his feet again. Will could see the damage that Shadowfang had inflicted to Driller's armored hide, but it just hadn't been enough.

Against his better judgment, Will broke cover, racing out of the hiding spot he had managed to find and streaking across the sand behind Shadowfang. He succeeded in gaining both Driller _and_ Shockwave's attention, the mech's single red optics narrowing as a chilling smile crossed his face. With one command, Driller left Shadowfang alone, surging across the sand towards the human as the steel gray mech turned to see why he had been spared. Will didn't see the mech's dark red optics go wide with terror, but he couldn't ignore the howl that left the wolf's throat.

"Will, _no!_" _Sorry Shadowfang, too late._ The human thought, chancing a glance over his shoulder. He nearly froze when he saw Driller rear up behind him, the mechanical monstrosity's form blocking out the early morning sunlight before the creature fell towards him with a mechanical hiss.

_Well, at least I'll die knowing I gave my life for something,_ he thought, closing his eyes and steeling himself for the end. He felt a massive set of metallic claws close around him before he was wrenched into the air, but when he wasn't crushed, Will opened his eyes and looked up. His hazel eyes went wide with shock at the sight that greeted him.

Huge, gleaming golden talons were wrapped carefully around him, and a tan belly greeted his eyes as wings with golden brown feathers cut through the air, carrying him higher and higher to safety, as far away from Driller and Shockwave as he could possibly get. His savior wheeled expertly on one wing, circling high above the battlefield, and it was then that Will got a good look at the mech's face.

"Moonflight?" A set of calm red optics met his gaze, the human slack jawed in surprise as the Predacon looked at him quietly.

"I never got the chance to tell you that I was sorry, William Lennox. For everything I have ever done during my time as a Decepticon, and for taking your family away. I hope that you may somehow find it in yourself to forgive me one day, but I will understand if you don't. I do hope you will forgive Warrior Star, though. Her betrayal was unintended and not done out of deceit. She didn't believe she had a better option at the time." The mech's voice was clear and mellow, and the look in his optics matched his words. Moonflight wasn't lying. Somehow, Will knew he was being absolutely truthful with him.

"W-where is Warrior Star?" Lennox asked, and the Predacon swiveled his head to look around before he carefully widened his circle and nodded at the ground.

"Look down. You will see her there." Will looked down, feeling his eyes going wide in shock at what he saw.

Warrior Star was charging across the rough terrain like it was a well-maintained road, her bronze armor gleaming in the sunlight as she came within sight distance of Shadowfang. Her cobalt blue optics went wide and she slammed to a halt, sand flying from beneath her churning paws as she stared at Shadowfang, aghast. Then she lowered her massive head, her entire body trembling as she ground her mighty jaws in fury. Even from the air, Will could hear the rumbling snarl that rippled from her chest, and then she raised her head and twisted to face Shockwave and Driller.

The femme that Will Lennox had come to know was gone. Standing in her place was a beast of legend, a femme that had only been seen once before, when she had torn a Cybertron manufacturing district to pieces and left one of her best friends dead in a pool of energon. Had he had any doubts about the identity of the femme that was staring at Shockwave, the look in her optics would have left no question.

A towering fury burned in her optics, along with a cold hatred that promised a painful demise to anyone stupid enough to get in her way. All the sanity had left her gaze, taking the normal cobalt blue of her optics with it. What was left behind was a vivid, burning red that glittered with sheer insanity.

Above him, Will heard Moonflight's startled intake of air, then a whisper left the mech's throat.

"War Beast."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay so, no dead Shockwave or Driller. Yet. Next chapter might see that change though. :)**

**Not a lot of fighting, I know...I was more trying to figure out how to introduce Warrior Star's 'other side' into this. Poor Shadowfang got tore up, but it had the desired effect, since Big Sister is now pissed off beyond belief. Next chapter should be fun. XD**

**My thanks as always to my readers, reviewers, favoriters, and followers! :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	31. We Fight As One

Her paws were planted solidly on the ground, and her black claws dug deep into the earth in her rage. The bronze femme looked absolutely ready to kill. Optics that were once a glowing cobalt blue now burned a bloody, crimson red in her fury. Slowly, the huge wolf prowled forward, step by step by step, her massive dentals bared in a snarl so ferocious that even Driller coiled in tighter on itself uneasily.

"So, you have found your true self again, my dear pet. Good, very, very good…now obey me. Kill those three pitiful excuses for mechs so that we may return home and I can finally finish your repairs." Shockwave hissed, his voice betraying the fact that he was completely confident that the bronze femme would obey him. She jolted to a halt at his voice, looking at him in the strangest way before she slowly turned to face her three brothers.

Deep in the bronze femme's spark, Warrior Star was _raging_, her cobalt blue optics glittering madly as she fought to take back control of her body before one of her brothers died. The femme called War Beast watched as her other half fought madly to take back control, then she spoke, her voice echoing eerily in the processor that they both shared.

_You cannot break free, sister of the light. You know this._ War Beast said, her red optics glowing almost sadly as Warrior Star fought all the harder anyway.

_I don't fragging care, dark one! Shockwave cannot be allowed to live, not after everything he has done to us! Those are MY brothers he is telling you to kill! My…your…OUR brothers! We can't!_ Warrior Star howled back, then the bronze femme snapped back to reality, raising her head slowly as her red optics flickered slightly. Then, to everyone's astonishment, she spoke.

"Who wounded the gray one?" Her voice was everything Warrior Star's was not, rough, cold, and emotionless. Keystone and Swiftpaw crowded a little closer to Shadowfang in an instinctive defensive measure as Shockwave answered the bronze femme's question.

"Driller did, my pet, but I leave it to you to finish him, however you see fit." The bronze femme stared at Shadowfang, watching without emotion as the wounded mech raised his head to stare at her. He was laying in a steadily growing pool of energon and his flame red optics were tired, but he spoke nonetheless.

"No mech controls you, sister…remember…" Too tired to say anything more, his head dropped, his chin hitting the ground with a clang that made the bronze femme jerk backwards a step.

War Beast's focus turned inward again when Warrior Star went insane with wrath, her howls and snarls echoing through their spark with such force that the femme trembled under her light sister's fury. Then Shadowfang's words clicked for the dark femme, and her optics flashed murderously, and then she turned to face Shockwave, a deadly predator in her prime.

"The gray one is right…no mech controls us. Either my light sister or me…but neither of us have ever bowed to another before. I would rather tear out my own spark and descend to the Pit than start now. My light sister is right…you must pay, Shockwave. For all the evil you have done, all the lies you have fed me…and all the pain you have caused my light sister. You. Must. Pay." Before anyone could question the femme on what she meant, the rising sun played across the thick plates of bronze armor on her frame, and as she stepped forward, a second femme remained where she had been.

Shockwave fell back a step, his single optic wide in disbelief as the femme with red optics continued stepping towards him, her optics blazing with anger, then his gaze fell on the second femme, who was astonishingly…transparent. But she was there nonetheless…then her optics snapped online and she raised her head to stare at him before she advanced as well. Her optics were cobalt blue, and she moved with the power and grace of a lioness, whereas her dark sister prowled forward with lethal strength evident in every step.

"What…what trickery is this?" The Decepticon asked as he continued retreating before the two femmes' advance.

"No trickery, Shockwave. One thing you never understood when you implanted that virus into my processor so long ago was that you created a second unique conscience within my frame. The femme with red optics, my dark sister, the War Beast. We have been living together in the same frame and sharing the same processor ever since the day we killed Andante. But you never understood what you had done…only we knew the magnitude of the damage done. I lost memories…she has no frame of her own. Now it's time for you to pay for what you have done." The femme with cobalt blue optics snarled as they both advanced with murderous intent.

_Shockwave is not the real danger, light sister. His pet is._ War Beast spoke in their processor, and Warrior Star agreed.

_Indeed, dark sister. That and Driller wounded our brother. It is the first to die._ The silent agreement was made, and both femmes came to a halt before they leaped as one. In midair, they merged together again, but there was one unique difference about the bronze femme. One of her optics was crimson red, and the other was cobalt blue.

"We fight as one!" She howled, and even her voice was a mix of the voices of the both of them. Then she fell on Driller with a howl of fury.

Shockwave's monster screeched in agony as her black claws stripped armor from its frame with chilling ease, her claws biting deep into its energon lines and wiring as she sank her dentals into another armor plate. Wrenching her head back, she tore the plate free and threw it at Shockwave, knocking the mech on his aft as he charged forward to try and get her away from Driller. Still using her claws and paws to tear through the beast's innards, the bronze femme stuck her head in the spot where an armor plate used to be, her gleaming dentals finding Driller's proto-spine and closing on it with stunning force.

Driller was screaming now, twisting and writhing and spinning as it fought to shake the bronze femme off before her jaws snapped its spine. It tore away across the earth's surface, twisting so that the femme was being dragged along the ground, ripping off several of her armor plates, but she refused to let go, only closing her jaws tighter. Desperately, the massive monster reared up, plunging towards the earth and heading underground in a last-ditch effort to shake her off. Yet she still held on, snarling with pain as she was slammed into rocks and tree roots and other such underground nonsense before Driller broke for the surface again on Shockwave's command. It erupted from the ground in a shower of dirt and rock, and then the bronze femme had enough. Digging her paws in just a little tighter, she focused her strength into her neck and jaws, and she fully closed them. The metallic _snap_ as Driller's spine gave way was the precursor to the most awful death scream that any of the mechs present had ever heard, then it died down to a moan as Driller hit the ground in a shower of rocks and dirt, a few spasmodic twitches going through its tentacles before it went still forever.

Slowly, the bronze femme unlocked her jaws, stepping down from what was easily the biggest mech she had ever offlined before she turned to face Shockwave, Driller's energon and vital fluids coating her entire head and chest and forelegs. The Decepticon's single red optic was wide with shock as he stared at his dead creation, then his disbelieving gaze went to the femme with one red optic and one blue optic as she stared at him with murderous intent all over her face. She took one step towards him and snarled, then charged.

The femme had to give the 'Con credit, he was fast on the trigger when it came to his cannons. Before she got halfway to him, a cannon blast slammed into her side, ripping away what armor was left after Driller dragged her around and severing one of the main energon lines in her stomach, but still she charged. Shockwave fired again, and then again, one blast slamming into her chest armor and cracking her spark casing as the second grazed her neck, stripping off even more of her armor. But she was unstoppable, and he had no time to fire again before she struck.

Massive dentals ripped into the armor on his throat, her forepaws ripping into his chest as her hind paws tore into his lower torso. Somehow, the mech stayed on his feet, staggering backwards as he transformed one hand into an energon sword and slammed it into the side of the femme's neck, where his cannon blast had stripped away the armor, but she didn't let go. Closing her jaws with the force of a hydraulic crusher, her dentals severed every cable and fluid line in his neck, and she stared into his optic as it went wide for a few long seconds, then flickered, then the red light of his gaze died. Forever.

They both hit the ground with a booming _crash_ that shook the earth and raised a cloud of dust, and all was silent for a long moment. Keystone and Swiftpaw watched with bated breath as the dust slowly settled, revealing the bronze femme as she stood on the chest of the dead Decepticon, staring at him for a moment longer before she turned to face them.

Despite her own injuries, she approached as quickly as she could, Keystone and Swiftpaw standing aside as she managed to get to Shadowfang before she collapsed. Cycling air through her frame in an effort to cool down several overheated systems, she stared at the gray mech before speaking.

"Shadowfang…please, brother…please…" The bronze femme's optics were locked on his face hopefully, staring at his dark optics in the hope that they would flicker and come online, but she felt her spark freeze when they did not. Managing to reach out one massive paw, she touched his chest plates, terror rippling through her at the thought that he may be offline. To her relief, she felt his spark humming…faintly.

"He's in forced stasis, sister…he's losing energon too fast." Keystone whispered as he watched the agony playing across the bronze femme's face plates. Memories emerged from deep in her past unbidden, and she felt oily tears building behind her optics as she remembered him as a little, tiny gray cub, the very first hours he had been online, when she and Keystone had followed him around to make sure he stayed safe. She remembered when he had stumbled on his new little paws and fallen, and how she had picked him up in one massive bronze paw to ensure he was not damaged. She had touched her nose to his little chest, and he had wrapped all of his limbs around her muzzle and told her thank-you and that he loved her before she put him down to continue his exploring.

Managing to drag herself just a little closer, the bronze femme reached out her head, gently resting it on top of Shadowfang's before she curled up next to him, her optics flickering and going offline as her tears slowly trailed down her face. The worried voices of the two…no, three…mechs around her were the last things she remembered before she sank into the shadows of off lining. That and the feel of a little warm hand on her muzzle.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So I'm a couple days late...I know. I wanted to really give this one a lot of thought, though, that and I've been working on some stuff in the background. Note my Riddick one-shot...*facepalm* Damn plot bunnies.**

**Kinda glad I waited and took my time on this one. The idea of Warrior Star and War Beast being two separate femmes in the same processor came to me late last night while I was celebrating the New Year.**

**To all my readers, reviewers, favoriters, and followers, thank you SO much for all your support over the last couple months and for making this story GREAT! HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	32. KIA

Shockwave's energon was still leaking into the rich, dark soil when Moonflight finally came back to earth, gently setting Will Lennox on his feet before transforming in mid-air and landing in a crouch next to the human. Both of them charged forward, swiftly heading for the bronze femme as she dragged her heavily damaged frame across the torn earth. They reached her just in time to see her optics flicker before dimming and going dark, her head resting on top of Shadowfang's as she went offline. Will had climbed up the steel gray mech's cheek armor, reaching out a hand and placing it on the bronze femme's muzzle, but she didn't respond. Moonflight stood back, staring at the human and the two wolves that remained online as his processor spun in shock, the images of the battle he had witnessed replaying deep in his conscience.

_Today will be a day forever remembered by those who witnessed the fall of Shockwave and Driller…it is up to us to tell the tale of the battle. Few mechs and femmes online today have ever been witness to a fight such as this…truly, this was a battle of legend._ The Predacon thought, then a sharp whine cut through the air, making his energon run cold as Swiftpaw and Keystone both zeroed in on Shadowfang.

"No, brother! No!" Swiftpaw cried, moving closer to lean against the steel gray mech's massive shoulder. Keystone advanced as well, but his golden optics were filled with a pain and sorrow so telling that Moonflight didn't have to ask what was wrong. All the golden brown mech could do was watch as the mechs struggled to support their brother, but with their sister just as gravely injured, it just wasn't enough.

Moonflight's dark red optics went wide as a shudder tore through Shadowfang's huge frame, and the whine grew even louder before cutting off suddenly. He took a step closer, optics wide in disbelief, unable to accept what he knew had happened.

_No…he can't be…_ The keening howls of Swiftpaw and Keystone were testament enough. Shadowfang was gone.

* * *

><p>It was dark and cold and absolutely silent when Warrior Star became aware of her surroundings again. Slowly, the bronze femme raised her huge head, her cobalt blue optics flashing online and searching the area, giving her face a feeble blue glow as her gaze searched the darkness.<p>

_I remember this place…_ The femme thought, getting to her feet soundlessly before a latent defense protocol made her whirl on her paws, her sharp dentals bared in a snarl as her optics met those of her dark sister, War Beast. Instantly she calmed, wondering why her dark sister was there, when the other femme spoke, her blood red optics glinting with sorrow and her cold voice quavering.

"The gray one is gone, light sister. His spark has gone cold, back in the mortal world." Barely able to suppress a cry of shock and disbelief, Warrior Star staggered back a step before tentatively testing her bonds with her brothers. Keystone and Swiftpaw came through, along with a rush of emotions, but Shadowfang…

"No…" She whispered, her cobalt blue optics growing wild with panic as she tested the bond with her second brother again, only to feel the absolute cold of the abyss of those that are permanently offline. A spark-wrenching cry of agony and despair tore itself from her throat, and she raged in the darkness, her massive paws tearing through the cold ground beneath her as War Beast looked on in sorrowful understanding. Only when her light sister's fury was spent and she stood trembling did the dark femme cautiously approach.

Warrior Star knew that War Beast was coming closer, but couldn't bring herself to care. Shadowfang was gone, gone because he did as she had asked, he had defended Lennox…and he had died for it. Even though the human's anger had stung more than the biting, savage cold of deep space, Warrior Star had tasked Shadowfang with protecting the human. He had excelled at his task…but had made the ultimate sacrifice to honor his word. It was then that Warrior Star remembered what she had heard through the bond, the day Shadowfang had told Will the story of the Guardians, and the legacy that their creators had left to them.

_We will serve as Guardians, and we will die as Guardians. Every single one of us._ The steel gray mech's voice echoed through the depths of Warrior Star's conscience, and she finally succumbed to her grief, sinking down on her haunches as War Beast gently leaned against her side, comforting her light sister as best she could as they both grieved Shadowfang's loss.

_You fulfilled my promise, brother…you made the sacrifice that should have been my own. You were there for Will when I wasn't, and you paid the price that was meant to be paid by me. Please forgive me, Shadowfang…I am so sorry…_

* * *

><p><em><em>**A/N: So...I went there. I have a really, really good reason though. I swear! I really do! Still...this chapter sucked to write. *sniffs* Hate you, plot bunnies. Evil little...bleep. I WILL find a way to remedy this...I swear!**

**So Warrior Star and War Beast have some...'bonding' time. They have to have some sort of truce/understanding going on or they would have (jointly) gone insane by now, after sharing the same body for several millennia. Sorry the chapter was so short...long day today, late right now and I need sleep. That and the plot bunnies just...stopped right there. Couldn't type anything else. WTF PLOT BUNNIES!**

**Last chapter garnered a HUGE response in reviews...thank you all so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I also noted that I picked up a few new followers as well! Thanks for taking the time to read! For all my readers and anyone I may have missed, thank you to you as well! You guys are so amazing!**

**I also took note of the fact that a couple reviewers requested that I hurry up and finish the story...got (I'm guessing) a good few chapters to go yet so...in due time, dear readers. In due time. :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	33. Running Out Of Time

Will had watched from above as Warrior Star had torn Shockwave and Driller apart, piece by piece by piece. Even from his vantage point, high up in the early morning sky, he could _see_ the fear in Shockwave's single red optic as the femme had closed her jaws on his throat cables and shredded them. And he had held his breath, watching in astonishment as the massive mech had fallen forever.

When Moonflight set him down, Will didn't think about anything. He just…ran. In what seemed like only the blink of an eye, he cleared the distance to Shadowfang and Warrior Star, climbing up the gray mech's cheek armor to stand in front of the bronze femme's muzzle. He had reached out, touching the warm armor in the hope that her fierce cobalt blue optics would come to life and focus in on him…but he felt his heart sink when they stayed dark and unlit.

_Please, no…_ He dug his fingers into her armor, closing his eyes tight as he remembered how angry he had been, how coldly he had dismissed her…and now here she was. Barely alive.

Will was wrenched back to the present when Shadowfang's systems stuttered and a sharp whine pierced the air. Instantly, he looked down, watching in horror as the mech convulsed for several seconds before going eerily still. The whine coming from his systems cut off so suddenly that Will felt his body go numb with dread. The sorrowful howls of Keystone and Swiftpaw confirmed what he knew, deep inside.

"No…Shadowfang…" He whispered, crouching down to stare at the mech's optics in the hope that they would light. Then it occurred to him that he could no longer feel the vibrations of the mech's spark, or any of his other vital operating systems.

It was like a kick to the stomach, when he really, truly realized that Shadowfang was gone. The mech had died protecting him…which made it that much worse. Slowly, Will's hand reached down to touch the top of Shadowfang's dented helm, which he was currently crouching on. Tears blurred the soldier's vision, until he could see nothing through the haze in his eyes. Hearing the sound of Warrior Star's systems struggling behind him, just as Shadowfang's had, Will felt his breathing hitch, and the muscles in his jaw tightened involuntarily as he fought to keep the tears from falling.

The man turned, staring at the bronze femme as her remaining brothers crowded in on both sides, doing everything in their power to keep her online. It was at that moment that Will realized just how much the four wolves had grown on him, as he stood on Shadowfang's slowly cooling armor and watched as Warrior Star started shutting down, one system at a time. His fists clenched as a sudden burst of rage ripped through him, some voice screaming deep in his mind at how unfair the fates had been to Warrior Star and her pack. The sound of snarling engines caused him to turn and look over his shoulder.

Parading forward in all their glory were the Autobots. Bright armor gleamed in the sunlight as they charged forward, coming closer to Will by the second. Yet the human felt no relief at seeing them, only the rapidly growing anger that they hadn't been there when they were needed the most. Climbing down from his vantage point faster than he thought possible, Will landed in a crouch, storming forward with anger blazing in his hazel eyes and causing the Autobots to pull up short to avoid hitting him. They didn't even have the chance to transform before he started yelling.

"About time you showed up! What took you so long? Were you hoping that Shockwave and Driller would offline all of them? You cowards, you're no better than the Decepticons! Shadowfang is dead and Warrior Star isn't far behind! And mark my words, if that femme dies, I will unleash _hell_ on all of you! Government be damned, I'll see to it that you're all sent off this planet! She _saved_ all your sorry, shiny asses in Chicago and THIS is how you repay her? By leaving her to die? Now I'm beginning to understand why she didn't want to come back. Worthless, all of you! Worthless!" Taking just a moment to breathe, Will's blazing eyes flashed over all of them before landing on Ratchet, Jolt, and First Aid, the three medics still in their alternate modes from the shock of his words.

"What the HELL do you three idiots think you're doing? Get over here and HELP HER!" The soldier's roar snapped the three mechs from their trance, and they transformed swiftly before hurrying to Warrior Star and starting to remove her remaining armor. Will turned to watch them for a moment before his gaze fell on Keystone.

"Keystone, may I have a moment?" Instantly, the black mech's gold optics turned to the human, and he advanced so that Will wouldn't have to yell at him. For just a moment, mech and human stared at one another, then Keystone spoke softly.

"How may I be of assistance, Will Lennox?" The mech's voice made tears spring to the soldier's eyes unbidden, and he blinked them away harshly before he replied.

"I can request transportation for Shadowfang, or would you and Swiftpaw rather take him yourselves?" Will's voice was low, out of respect for the massive mech before him, but he still saw in Keystone's gold optics that the mech appreciated the courtesy.

"We will see to him, but I thank you, nonetheless." As the black wolf turned away, Will turned to face the remaining Autobots where they sat idling uneasily in their alternates.

"Optimus! You might want to do something about Shockwave and Driller. Like maybe melt them down. I do not want to be in your place if they are brought back online. Warrior Star would tear the world apart if that happened." The human's voice jolted the big red and blue mech into action, and as the Autobots fell on Shockwave and Driller's corpses and started breaking them down for easier transport, Will looked back to the medics as they worked frantically to stabilize Warrior Star.

"Ratchet, how are you going to transport her?" He asked, watching as the Autobot Chief Medical Officer paused for a moment to consider it.

"By Aerialbot. I'll summon one of them now." The yellow mech responded, his optics going dim as he opened a comm link with the base. But Will still saw him go tense when he heard the human's soft words of reply from behind him.

"See that you do. I'm holding you responsible for her life." With that, Will turned and walked towards Swiftpaw and Keystone, where they were working to devise a sled to drag Shadowfang back to the base with.

"Might I ride along with you two, or would you prefer being alone for this?" Will's quiet question broke the silence between the two, and they looked at each other before Swiftpaw turned to Will and lowered himself onto his belly so that the human could climb onto his back. Once the human was situated, the two mechs finished what they were doing, having cannibalized a piece of Driller's armor to place Shadowfang on before Swiftpaw hitched Keystone to the sled.

As the massive black mech started forward, all the Autobots paused for a moment to watch as they came by. Keystone was in front, Shadowfang's body on the sled behind him, and Will and Swiftpaw behind that, moving slowly to avoid damaging their brother's frame further as Moonflight slowly circled overhead.

Swiftpaw was the one to speak, his voice carrying on the wind to reach the audios of every Autobot present as he spoke a poem for his fallen brother.

A warrior and friend has died today

His life taken in defense of us all

Remember this, his sacrifice

As I take his place to stand tall

Another spirit shall roam the sky

To help me for eternity

Giving me strength where needed

But forevermore unseen

I look into darkness and see his spirit

Staring back from the stars I love

Maybe one day, I shall join him there

Forever roaming the skies above

He will forever linger at my side

Defending the innocent everywhere

Despite his loss, I continue on

Fighting for all that is just and fair

I grieve today for a friend forever lost

His greatest sacrifice carved in blood and stone

Tomorrow, I return to continue the fight

But for now, I stand alone

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know that as The Wanderer has progressed, I've more or less made the Autobots 'the bad guys'. This was more unintentional than anything, but in trying to portray the trust issue between Warrior Star and the Autobots, that was really how it had to come out. Will's reaction to their arrival in this chapter really hammers that point home. If that happens to irritate anyone, my bad, but as I have stated before, that's the true beauty of FanFiction.**

**The poem in this chapter is one of mine, titled 'Warrior'. I may or may not have it on my deviantART. Not sure actually. It can be altered to reflect the loss of a male or a female. I actually originally wrote it when a female character of mine was killed in a story long, long ago. I simply switched it so that I could use it for Shadowfang.**

**To my reviewers, readers, favoriters, and followers, my thanks as always! Your readership is much appreciated! :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	34. Into The Mists

Time had no meaning now, not for War Beast, and not for Warrior Star. The two femmes walked quietly through the dark, their optics combined lighting a small area around their helms and in front of them, nothing more. Warrior Star was slightly in the lead, her cobalt blue optics bright but filled with an empty sorrow that her dark sister understood all too well.

Neither of them spoke, but neither of them needed to, each alone with her thoughts but comforted by the fact that they had each other. Dark and light. Yin and yang. Both connected by a bond that neither truly understood. Yet there they were, walking through a darkness that Warrior Star knew and hated with everything in her spark, and War Beast knew it.

Warrior Star's optics flickered only slightly as the air went from black to dark gray, then lighter and lighter still until she and her dark sister were walking through a thick fog. But still, they continued on. War Beast's nose twitched slightly as the clean scent of pine and fir filled the air, and she raised her head as the trees started appearing through the mist.

Warrior Star walked on, brushing past the trees as War Beast fell behind slightly, wondering where it is they were. But she followed her light sister, whose steps were filled with an unerring confidence that didn't reach her cobalt blue optics.

A moment later, a distant roar reached their audios as the forest thinned and thick green grass cushioned their paws. Sunlight broke through the clouds finally, revealing a sight that neither femme was soon to forget. Off to their right, a waterfall roared over a cliff that seemed to touch the sky, cascading down to land in a gorge far beneath their paws, where the light didn't even reach. The sunlight reflected in the mist, and several rainbows spanned the gorge, which was too wide for either femme to jump. One single wooden bridge crossed the span to the other side, which was shrouded in a mist so thick that even their optics couldn't pierce through it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Warrior Star's voice came so suddenly that her dark sister's ears twitched in surprise, and the other femme studied the view for several seconds before replying.

"It is, light sister. It is. But where are we?" Another voice pierced the air before Warrior Star could reply, and both femmes turned to see the source.

"Across the bridge is Eternity, the place where all living things go when their time in the mortal realm is done. You cannot see through the fog until you cross, and even then, you must journey for some time before you find your place in Eternity. As the legend goes, your time in The Mists tests you to see who, and what, you really are. It is that which determines what part of Eternity you will call home." It was a mech that spoke, his voice a medium tenor that resonated through their audios. And his voice brought back sorrowful recognition for both femmes.

"Andante." Warrior Star spoke, her cobalt blue optics glowing sadly as she stared at the lean black mech, small in stature since he was a saboteur, his white optics turned up so he could look her full in the face.

"Warrior Star. It has been a long time, femme. I must say, I am sorry to see you here. That can only mean that you are injured back in the mortal realm." His voice was calm, but his optics betrayed his pain at the knowledge that his old friend was hurt badly enough that her spirit was sent into limbo.

"Yes, but for good reason, old friend. Shockwave and Driller are dead, and if I have my way, their bodies will be melted down so that there will be no chance that they will ever return." The bronze femme's voice was a snarl by the end, her cobalt blue optics glittering with anger at the thought of her greatest enemy ever being brought back online.

"It is good to hear that he and his monster have finally been defeated, but at what cost? How many mechs and femmes had to fall for what he has done?" His tone was sad, but had a slightly hidden edge as his optics wandered to War Beast, where she stood behind Warrior Star.

"Too many, Andante. Too many. At least now no more will fall." Her voice was quiet, and she sensed his tension as he stared at her dark sister uneasily.

"See to it, then. But what of this one? Much as I hate to say it, she is just as much a victim as you and I were. What will become of her now?" Warrior Star turned to face War Beast, and their optics met for several seconds.

"We…do not know. We have been sharing the same body and the same processor for quite some time now…I suppose I never really thought about it. I am sure we will figure something out. But tell me this, Andante, have you seen Shadowfang? He…more than likely came here before us." Warrior Star's voice betrayed her fear, her tone quavering slightly as she stared into the white optics of her oldest friend. The look on his face made her go tense uneasily.

"Yes, I saw him. So did a few of the others here, but before we could stop him, he crossed the bridge and went into The Mists. We cannot follow there, no matter how much we try. We have…unfinished business." Warrior Star's spark dropped into her paws, her processor going blank with shock. It was War Beast that spoke, sensing her light sister's distress.

"Is there any way we can reach him, get him to return here?" Andante looked surprised when she spoke, but thought about her question before musing aloud.

"It is possible, I suppose, if you can reach him before his journey within The Mists is done. But if you go, you must be very, very careful. You stand just as high a chance of losing yourself as well. The moment you step into The Mists, your journey will begin. If you can't find him and get back to the bridge before your judgment is passed…you can never return."

Warrior Star and War Beast looked at one another, cobalt blue to blood red as they each pondered the risks.

_I leave the decision to you, light sister. He is your brother, and you stand more to lose from this than I. If you go, I go. We stand a better chance of finding him together._ War Beast's voice echoed quietly through their processor, and Warrior Star couldn't help but wonder if they would actually be able to pull this off.

_You are correct…if we can manage to orient ourselves as we enter The Mists, lock the location of the bridge and keep in contact with each other…we might be able to create a 'map' of sorts, so we don't become lost. It will still be very dangerous though. Are you sure about this, dark sister?_ Warrior Star whispered back, her optics locked on the femme standing opposite her.

_I am. He…saved us both, when Andante died. I owe him this much._ War Beast's voice was strong and unwavering, and with their decision made, they both turned to the bridge and made their way to it. Just before they crossed, they paused and looked back at Andante, wondering if they would ever return. Then they turned to face the bridge again, each hesitating as the mech's words echoed through their processor again.

Warrior Star stepped first, her huge paw making the first board creak slightly, but she advanced slowly, with steadily growing confidence. War Beast followed, stepping in the same spots her light sister had as they slowly made their way across the expanse. They paused as they reached the other side, looking back one final time to find that several other Cybertronians had appeared from the woods.

Saber, Stardust, Nova, and Andante were standing at the edge of the bridge, staring at the two femmes as they stood ready to finish their crossing. Warrior Star took comfort in the fact that her creators had appeared, Stardust staring at her confidently as her silver armor shimmered in the sunlight. It was Saber that spoke, his bright blue optics staring straight into his eldest creation's optics with so much love that she trembled beneath his gaze.

"Find your brother, Warrior Star. His time in the mortal realm is not yet done…he has things to accomplish yet. Nor is your time expired, daughter. You both have years ahead of you still. We will be waiting for your return." With that, Warrior Star turned back around, and she and War Beast stepped off the bridge and into The Mists, their world plunged into an eerie darkness once more.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I've had this little twist planned since I decided to have Shadowfang go offline. Whether or not they find him...that's up in the air. Figured I would bring Andante back into it, since this is more or less where Warrior Star saw him last. I wanted to make their reunion a little happier but figured this was the better way, since Warrior Star is thinking about Shadowfang.**

**To quasarsmom: Ha! I'm glad I'm not the only one that likes to see the 'good' played as the 'bad guys' sometimes. In this case, as I said in my notes last chapter, it was more or less unintentional for the Autobots to be portrayed as 'bad'. But I rather like the effect that it has had on Warrior Star, the pack, Will...everyone really. Honestly, it has made the story a little more 'real' for me, since in the real world, no one is perfect, and betrayal can and will come from the most unexpected of places. And thanks for your praise on my poem! I'll see about digging up some more that work with upcoming chapters. :)**

**t0mbr1d: I wasn't too surprised to see a comment regarding Will's response to the Autobots. Really where that came from is when I remember how he reacted to Simmons in the first movie (when Sam wants to be taken to Bumblebee), and in the second, when that (insert your favorite expletive) Galloway threatened the Autobots on the landing strip after Optimus died. Remember? He's pounding on the hood of a humvee and yelling at a bunch of soldiers before that (expletive) Galloway walks up and does his whole spiel. I hate that guy. Anyway, remembering his hot-headedness in those two situations is more or less what spawned his reaction to the Autobots last chapter. I kinda missed that Will Lennox in the third movie, actually...**

**Anyway! Long friggin' author's note...gawd. My love to my readers, reviewers, favoriters, and followers! You guys make an author's world go 'round! :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	35. Left Behind

The journey back to base with Swiftpaw and Keystone was a quiet one. Will sensed that they were having some sort of conversation through their sibling bond, and it was one conversation he dared not interrupt. They were grieving the loss of Shadowfang and trying their best to break through to Warrior Star…wherever she was.

It astonished Will at how little time had actually passed since Warrior Star had arrived. So much had happened over the last few weeks that Will could barely track it all.

_Has it really only been a month? Has it even BEEN a month since she showed up here?_ He couldn't help but wonder as the base appeared in the distance, but he ignored it. He was too busy trying to figure out where the time had gone.

A soft whisper from above made Will raise his head, and he watched as Moonflight slowly flew by, the tips of his feathers passing within inches of the human's face, but he didn't flinch away. For some reason he couldn't understand, he trusted that Moonflight wouldn't hit him.

_Maybe it has to do with the fact that the mech nearly got himself killed by Driller to pull me to safety,_ he thought, amused in the darkest way by the fact that he now trusted the mech and was starting to consider him as another Cybertronian comrade in arms.

_And yet, he killed my family. How strange the fates are._ Will thought, then jerked in surprise when Keystone and Swiftpaw slowed to a halt near the human housing area.

"We're back already? Damn, time is seriously going too fast…" The human muttered as Swiftpaw crouched to let him down. The soldier clambered down from the mech's back, turning to face them as he spoke again.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to stop by and visit Warrior Star when they get her stabilized enough for visitors." Will said, watching Keystone as the black mech stared down at him calmly.

"Of course, William. I will ensure that you are summoned when the medics clear her for visitors." With that, the black and gold mechs took their leave, slowly dragging Shadowfang to a special hangar dedicated specifically for those slain in battle, so that they could be repaired in preparation for the final rites and customs specific to their class and the wishes of those closest to them.

Will watched them go, twitching in slight surprise as Moonflight transformed mid-air before landing next to him gently. Turning towards the golden brown mech, the soldier found himself staring into the Predacon's dark red optics, and the look held for several seconds before the mech spoke.

"May I…stay, Lennox?" Will could see the uneasiness in the mech's optics before his gaze wandered to study the rest of the housing area, unable to ignore the stares he was getting.

"I don't see a problem, though you may want to choose an alternate mode so that no one knows you're a Decepticon. That and you should be able to catch some recharge…as long as the Autobots don't come screaming when they realize you are here." Will said, unable to fathom _why_ he was taking pity on a mech that he knew damn well was a murderer.

_Warrior Star…it has to be because of her. I was so angry with her when I realized who he was…when I realized she didn't tell me. She always has her reasons, whether we see them or not. I need to apologize to her, when she's back online…_ He mused to himself, turning his attention to Moonflight when the mech began to transform. Once he was done, Will found himself laughing, though he had no idea why. Apparently Moonflight didn't, either.

"What has amused you, Lennox?" The Predacon asked as he pulled carefully into Lennox's driveway, and the human could just feel the mech's hidden optics staring at him. His response made the mech twitch in surprise.

"What is it with you guys and trucks? Warrior Star, Keystone, and Swiftpaw ALL have pickups for alternates, now you too? I'm sorry, I just find that really amusing for some reason." True to Will's observation, Moonflight sat under the disguise of a Nissan Titan, sitting on lifted axles with gleaming rims and a flashy paint job. With a final chuckle and a shake of his head, Will turned and headed into his cozy home as the mech settled on his axles in preparation for a much-needed recharge.

Closing the door behind him against the bright sunlight of the morning, Will rested his back against it, allowing his head to fall back with a light thump against the door as he closed his eyes and sighed. Unbidden, memories of the battle between Warrior Star and Shockwave appeared, and he felt himself cringing as he relived some of the more terrifying moments of the battle. Watching as the bronze femme's chest armor was blown to smithereens, her optics flickering for only a moment before she leaped to slam paws, claws, and jaws into the Decepticon, taking him down permanently. Remembering how the dust settled around her, the look in her strange blue and red optics as she glared down at her dead enemy. Then he relived every single agonized step she took as she struggled to reach Shadowfang.

_Shadowfang…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…_ Will whispered in his mind, as he remembered the mind numbing terror in the mech's voice as he had screamed at the human to stay put, when Will had raced across the battlefield in a desperate attempt to save the mech's life.

_I only prolonged the inevitable._ The soldier thought sadly as he made his way to the bathroom, stripping down to the skin as he started a hot shower. Even then, the images kept parading in front of his eyes, haunting him, chilling him, as he remembered every last second of the fight that had taken the life of one of the few remaining Guardians online, and left another clinging to life by a mere thread.

_One good thing did come of all this…_ Will couldn't help but think darkly. Shockwave and Driller were dead and gone, and had been dismantled in preparation for transportation to an industrial grade smelter to be melted down. Will would see to the task personally, so that he would be able to reassure anyone that asked that those two Decepticons were gone forever. Then his mind took another turn, one that he was hoping it wouldn't.

An image of a bronze femme, one huge paw frozen in midair as she stared at him with agony flashing through her cobalt blue optics. Trying over and over again to reach him, only to have him scream at her to stay away.

Will tried to swallow, but the lump in his throat was too constricting to allow it. He lowered his head into his hands before slowly sinking down until he was kneeling in his shower, the hot water pounding across the back of his muscular shoulders. Leaning down, he pressed his forehead to the bottom of the tub, guilt tearing through him like a hot brand as he remembered the look in her optics as Shadowfang had slowly taken him away, then she had howled. Her voice echoed in the depths of his mind, just as loud as it had only earlier that day.

Quiet sobs ripped themselves from the depths of his powerful chest, his hazel eyes shut tight and his teeth gritted against the guilt and despair as the water from the shower erased any evidence of the hot tears pouring from his eyes.

_I'm sorry…Warrior Star…I'm so sorry…_

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><p><strong>AN: Gotta whump on Will a little. Everyone cracks and breaks sometime...even the strongest amongst us. That and all we've seen from him so far is just sheer fury...gotta have some tears sometime. That and I'm working on evolving a sort of comrade-type bond between Will and Moonflight. The mech DID save his rear from Driller. But I'm gonna have to play with that one a little...I'll see where the muse leads.**

**Flamingfoxviper: Well...I just might. :) You can thank t0mbr1d for making me think of this one...but it's a few chapters away yet.**

**t0mbr1d: You gave me an AWESOME idea with your latest review. Thanks! :)**

**CatGirlFireflare: Perhaps. We'll have to see what The Mists have in store for all three of them.**

**sweettea1: If anyone can find Shadowfang, it's those two femmes. But the journey will not be an easy one.**

**To my readers, reviewers, favoriters, and followers, you guys are wonderful! *hands out cyber cookies* Over 1,500 views on The Wanderer already, and we're only seven days into January! *tears up* Ya'll are amazing! :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	36. In The Dark

The darkness that Warrior Star and War Beast found themselves engulfed by was different than what they had previously encountered. It was…sinister, in a way. Each femme's ears flicked back and forth as strange noises echoed around them, and Warrior Star bared her massive silver dentals as a low snarl rumbled from her chest.

_This is just…strange._ She thought, sensing that War Beast agreed as the other femme took a step forward, her blood red optics glowing uneasily.

_Bridge marked and locked?_ War Beast asked, and Warrior Star double checked her internal navigation protocols.

_Yep. For now, let's follow the edge in opposite directions. We can cut in after we've established a basic boundary line._ Warrior Star replied, and the two femmes looked at each other before turning and walking away from one another, the distant roar of the water far below their only guide as The Mists swallowed them both.

_Can you still hear me, dark sister?_ Warrior Star asked, relieved when the other femme replied immediately.

_Yes, loud and clear. Shall we check in with each other? Maybe every ten human minutes?_ War Beast asked, and the other femme agreed with her logic.

_Every ten minutes, then. Good hunting, dark sister._ With that, Warrior Star was walking in the thick fog once more, alone with her thoughts. Her cobalt blue optics searched carefully, trying without success to pierce the fog that seemed to be hugging her armor. Giving up on sight, she turned to sound, feeling uneasiness coiling in her spark at the different sounds that her audios were picking up.

_I mustn't let this place intimidate me. I am here for Shadowfang. I'll leave the judgment of my own life for another time._ She thought fiercely, her cobalt blue optics lighting up and blazing brightly enough to pierce through the fog. To her surprise, the area within a fifty foot radius of her suddenly cleared, and the fog seemed a little less dense than before.

_It reacts to my thoughts?_ Warrior Star wondered, watching in amazement as the area cleared just a little more around her. Shrugging mentally, she decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth as she pivoted and turned deeper into The Mists, putting her nose to the ground determinedly as she swore to find Shadowfang, no matter the cost.

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><p>The moment Warrior Star disappeared into The Mists, War Beast turned, heading deeper herself as the air grew darker around her. Her ears flicked back and forth slightly as a strange sound reached her audios, a sort of shuffling-squelch. Subconsciously baring her massive dentals in an uneasy snarl, she turned her head, her blood red optics only succeeding in turning the air around her red, and nothing more. Turning her head to the front again, she kept one ear trained on the sound of the water, growing more and more uneasy as the strange sound on her opposite side continued to grow in volume. Then something sprang at her from the dark.<p>

Whirling on her paws, she dropped her head, the…thing, whatever it was, missing her helm by inches before landing and skidding to a sharp halt when it realized how close it was to the edge. War Beast turned, intent on dispatching it, when she froze in horrified recognition. The creature was a mangled, patch-work, mashed-together set of Cybertronian remains, from many of the mechs and femmes that had been offlined by the bronze femme over the millennia since her exile. Its weird optics zeroed in on the frozen femme before a rasping, gurgling voice shattered the air between them.

"Time for you to be judged…murderer." Her blood red optics widened, then when it leaped to attack, she moved without thinking. One huge bronze paw whistled through the air, smashing into the thing's chest and catapulting it into the endless depths of the ravine below. The scream as it fell made War Beast shudder.

Twisting around to face the dark shadows and fog once more, the femme twitched, checking to make sure her lock on the bridge was still good before she tentatively made her way back into the darkness…a darkness that was a reflection of her own soul.

_Is this the evil that Shockwave programmed into me? Is this what I must face?_ War Beast wondered as the sickening sounds of more of the Pit-spawned monstrosities began echoing around her. Moving on a little faster, she felt a snarl building in her massive chest, angry at the unsettling turn of events, and at how helpless she felt.

_If this is what it takes to find the gray one, then so be it. I owe my light sister that much, after everything I have done that she has been blamed for. I must carry on._ With the sounds of the evil creatures echoing ever louder around her, she raced on.

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><p><strong>AN: Creepy crawlies and crap in the dark. Even I am disgusted. Sorry for the short chapter and the slightly late update...the last few days have been insane.**

**t0mb1rd: Indeed! I like being able to show that characters still have humanity in them...it's both fun and challenging to write, which makes me enjoy writing it all the more.**

**Mayday 200: Welcome to the story! And thank you! I am really quite proud at how The Wanderer has been evolving...I'd have to say it's one of my best works yet. :) Yes, Jazz is dead...:(...but the reason he isn't with Andante is quite simple. Jazz has already completed his journey in The Mists and has proceeded into Eternity, while Andante is still stuck in Limbo. Something is holding Andante there...might end up seeing what in a few chapters. And I'll have to remember that about Shockwave and Driller, the next time I'm working on killing a really evil character. Appreciate the review!**

**Cairi! OMG, I've totally not been ignoring you! I swear! ...I still fail. Anyway! Thanks for taking the time to read and review all the chapters! I need to leave a note on You Have Found A Home...I'm such a terrible story follower. :(**

**sweettea1: The portrayal of emotion, and making the reader feel it, is actually one of my greatest skills as a freewriter and a FanFic writer as well. The way I see it is quite simple...if you aren't feeling what my characters are feeling (or in the case of FanFic, whomever created the characters), then I'm not doing my job right. The true art of writing, in my opinion, isn't just in correct grammar and sentence structure. It is in building a story that can _drag_ the reader into the pages and drop them right in the middle of a world that may not even exist in our version of reality. And another thing I consider to be truly artful writing is in the writing of emotions...again, if you can't feel what the characters are feeling, then I have failed as a writer, in my opinion. I am glad you're enjoying the story!**

**mayalewis16: Sorry about that! My hours at work have stretched later than I anticipated this week...I'll try and keep them rolling about every day!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	37. She'll Wake Up

Will had finished his shower on auto pilot. His body was clean and his face was calm, but his mind was bombarded with images of Warrior Star's agonized optics as she crawled to her off lining brother's side. Those strange optics, one blood red, one cobalt blue, were swarming with the emotions of the two separate femmes as they fought together, fought as one, for the first time since Shockwave had implanted the virus in Warrior Star's processor. Will had known, looking into her optics, that she, no…_they_ knew that Shadowfang was off lining. And deep in their shared processor and shared spark, it had agonized them both. Two femmes, fighting as one, separate and alone but together…a ferocious killing machine. They fought as one, shed energon as one, and grieved as one. Their brother was gone, and they wept for him.

Shaking his head slightly to clear his mind, Will got dressed, walking outside and looking up at the sun where it sat high in the sky. Closing his eyes, he stood quietly, feeling the breeze playing gently through his hair as the sun warmed his face. The soft growl of a normally loud engine caught his attention, and Will opened his eyes to see a black GMC Topkick idling in the street. Instinctively, he knew that the mech's attention was focused on the golden brown Nissan Titan in his driveway, and he grumbled deep in his chest before approaching the black Topkick and speaking softly.

"What is it, Ironhide?" The Autobot stayed in his alternate mode but Will could sense that the mech was still zeroed in on Moonflight as he answered the human distractedly.

"I came to…apologize. For…everything that has happened these past weeks. You were right…you were right. About Warrior Star, her brothers. And even this mech…we were wrong about him. She knew. The bronze femme knew he was no threat to us…we just…couldn't find it in ourselves to leave the past in the past. I just wanted to tell you that I was sorry. Please forgive me, if you can…" With that, Ironhide speedily but quietly drove away, leaving a rather astounded Lennox staring after him as Moonflight stirred slightly before dropping deeper into recharge.

Before he could recover from his shock, a familiar gold Tacoma turned onto his street, pulling up to the curb in front of him before idling quietly.

"Lennox." Swiftpaw greeted as he studied the recharging Decepticon a mere fifteen feet away. Managing to gather his scattered thoughts, Will cleared his throat and nodded briskly to the mech.

"Swiftpaw. What brings you here?" _This day is getting stranger by the second…_ He pondered silently as the mech sat in contemplative silence for several seconds before he replied.

"The armor has been stripped from Warrior Star's frame and returned to Ironhide for repair. Her injuries were worse than we thought. Ratchet and Jolt are working to restore proper energon flow to her processor and spark…they are concerned that she lost too much energon and that she may be…what's the word? Brain-dead. That's the human term for it." The mech spoke with a detached formality to his tone, but Will could hear the agony that the youngest of the four wolves was trying so desperately to hide.

"So…" Will managed to get out one word before his throat closed up, making him swallow painfully as Swiftpaw vented before picking up where the human had halted.

"So…the Warrior Star we know…may never wake up." Will saw the tremor go through the gold mech's frame, and he reached out without thinking. The moment his hand touched Swiftpaw's passenger side door, the tremors ceased, but Will could hear the muffled whimpers echoing from the mech's cab.

_She may never wake up…and the last thing she remembered about me…was that I was screaming at her and telling her I never wanted to see her again. Oh God…_ Will leaned against Swiftpaw as his mind stuttered, numbly trying to process everything that had happened that day. Man and mech grieved in silence as around them, the world endlessly turned.

Some time had passed before Swiftpaw gave a little shake, rousing Will from his stupor before the mech spoke softly.

"I must go…Keystone needs me. I will be back when I have further news on Warrior Star." Once Will straightened and stepped away, the gold mech slowly rolled forward before proceeding down the street and around a corner, vanishing before the human could blink.

Will turned, jerking in surprise when he saw the angle of the sun in the sky. He couldn't help but wonder where the time had gone as he headed back inside, his stomach rudely reminding him that he needed sustenance as Moonflight recharged peacefully in the driveway. He was on autopilot as he dug through the cupboards, pulling out ingredients for a simple stir fry and rice and a loaf of bread. Working quickly but with unerring confidence, he had his stir fry and rice started and his bread in the oven before he went to the refrigerator to grab something to drink.

Will started to pull out a beer but decided against it, grabbing a sports drink instead as the smell of stir fry filled the kitchen, making his stomach growl even louder. Cracking the seal on the bottle, he took a drink, only realizing how thirsty he was when the liquid soothed his parched throat and dry mouth. As he lowered the bottle, a slight _thump_ caught his attention, and he leaned over the kitchen counter to see what had made the sound.

Finding himself staring into a single dark red optic through his front window, Will jumped, letting out a yell of surprise as the mech staring at him jerked as well. The human fell back against the counter, his heart racing as his mind filled with horrifying images of the mech tearing through the roof to pluck him up and crush him, then a familiar voice made him freeze in surprise.

"Are you alright, Will Lennox?" Getting his hysteria under control, Will cautiously peeked over the counter again. Instantly he relaxed, having recognized the mech's voice and face, since said mech had pulled his head back far enough for Will to get a good look at him.

"Damn, Moonflight! You startled me! I thought you were still in recharge." The human turned his attention back to his food as the Predacon moved around the house so that he was looking in the kitchen window instead.

"I was, but the smell of whatever food you are preparing pulled me out of recharge. I do not know why. What are you cooking?" Moonflight's curiosity was hard to ignore, so Will answered over his shoulder as he put the finishing touches on the stir fry and pulled the bread from the oven.

"Just a simple stir fry and rice and bread. I would offer you some but you guys can't eat human food anyway. There should be some energon in a barrel in the garage though…I usually keep some for Ironhide. I doubt he'll mind if you take some." At the mention of energon, the Predacon perked up before disappearing around the house again.

Will filled up a plate and sat down at the table, eating quietly as the sound of Moonflight rummaging around echoed through the house. He could tell when the mech had found the energon because silence fell for a few seconds, then Moonflight reappeared at the kitchen window, settling down to enjoy his energon as human and Cybertronian both ate in silence.

"What news of Warrior Star? I smelled Swiftpaw's scent near the road…he paid a visit while I was recharging, didn't he?" The mech's voice broke the silence, and Will sat uneasily for a few seconds before sighing softly and replying.

"Her injuries are worse than the medics originally thought. There's a chance she won't wake up." It grew quiet again for several seconds, then Will went stiff with shock when a quiet chuckle rippled through the air before Moonflight replied.

"She'll wake up. If there is one thing I know about that femme, it's that she never gives up. Injuries or not, Warrior Star doesn't know how to just lay down and die. She'll wake up. Trust me, Lennox. She'll wake up."

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><p><strong>AN: I'm sure this seems like a rather strange chapter, but Will has to eat sometime. That and I felt like having Moonflight scare him for some reason...guess I'm just demented like that.**

**t0mbr1d: Thanks! I've been trying to figure out my 'Mists' scenes in my head...that one just seemed a fun way to go. Interesting idea for the femmes though, I will certainly consider it!**

**Miss MayD2: I got the creepy crawlies just writing it. And thanks for the critique, I'll certainly work on that in the more tense chapters. :)**

**Flamingfoxviper: Yeah, Shockwave's evil had far-reaching effects. They'll beat it, though. :)**

**mayalewis16: Thanks for the review! :)**

**Xepher06: I was wondering where you had been! Nice to see you back! Thanks for the reviews!**

**Cairi, I laughed at your review. Loudly. Pretty sure my neighbors hate me. Thanks for the review! *hugs***

**sweettea1: I know, right? Makes you want to check your closet with a shotgun and a flashlight, doesn't it? And don't worry, I hate leaving readers to hang in suspense for too long. I'll try not to drag the search out for much longer. Thanks for the review!**

**And I think I picked up a troll...oh well. LOL**

**To my readers, reviewers, favoriters, and followers, thank you all so very much! Nearly 3,000 story views and over 600 visitors! You guys rock!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	38. The Hunt Is On

Warrior Star was uneasy. She had not seen anything that possibly indicated where Shadowfang could be as she scoured The Mists. Actually, when she thought about it, she hadn't seen a fragging thing.

_How goes it, dark sister?_ Warrior Star asked, easily able to sense the irritation that her other half was feeling before the other femme replied.

_Troublesome. I keep getting attacked by these…strange creatures. I'm trying to outrun them but so far it isn't working. If many more of them show up, I could very well need your help, light sister._ War Beast's voice grated through their connection, and Warrior Star halted, her cobalt blue optics narrowing thoughtfully before she replied.

_Strange…I haven't encountered anything out here. I can't see any sign of Shadowfang, I can't smell anything…it's like…like I'm the only one here. Send me an overlay of your navigation system…I'll come to you._ She could sense her dark half's relief before the soft ping of an incoming transmission echoed through her processor. Warrior Star opened up the overlay, quickly uploading it into her navigation system so she could find War Beast.

Occupied with studying the map, Warrior Star only subconsciously registered the movement in the far reaches of her vision, turning her head out of sheer habit alone to look. She jolted in shock when she found herself staring into a painfully familiar pair of flame red optics, just before their owner turned and disappeared back into The Mists.

"Shadowfang!" She called, leaping out after him as War Beast took note of her light sister's reaction. Warrior Star barely registered that her dark sister had changed course, running in her direction as both femmes charged deeper into The Mists, and even further into the unknown.

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><p>The passage of time within The Mists is relative, different for every unique individual to plunge into its depths. On the opposite side of the bridge, in Limbo, every creature there was painfully aware of how fast, or slow, time was really passing.<p>

Andante had sat quietly, his white optics fixed on the spot where he had last seen his best friend, and his killer, disappear. He had ignored how long they had been gone, only focusing on reaching the moment when they returned.

_If they return,_ he thought, hating himself for his dark thoughts as Saber and Stardust sat quietly behind him. Almost against his will, the black saboteur turned, studying the two massive wolves with sparkling-like curiosity.

Saber was a mighty force, his four long, powerful legs only barely tapering into huge paws that were tipped with razor-sharp black claws that gleamed with a deadly brilliance. His massive chest and powerful body were heavily armored, the thick, heavy plates covering the huge cables and joints that made him so powerful. His tail was thick and heavy, so heavy that it could snap a mech's spine if Saber were to strike them hard enough with it. His neck was a little short for a mech his size but it was thick and well armored, and his skull was massive and broad. His optics were deep-set in his face, his muzzle long and filled with dentals that could tear through even the heaviest armor like a hot knife through butter. All in all, Warrior Star's mech creator was one of the most powerful and deadliest mechs that Andante had ever known.

But behind the mech's icy blue optics and underneath his thick white armor, a gentle spark lay hidden to all but those closest to him. Andante had looked up to Saber his entire life, overawed by the massive mech and his astounding strength, but never once had he been afraid of him. The black mech had seen his best friend's sire at his most savage and at his gentlest, and one of Andante's fondest memories of the white mech was the day that he had laid on the ground and dozed as Warrior Star and her brothers climbed all over him, nipping at his ears and batting at his nose. Yet the big white mech had barely stirred, only onlining his optics so that he could watch his creations play. Saber was a mech in a million, and Andante counted himself as being one of the fortunate few to have known him.

Turning his attention to Stardust, Andante studied her as well, comparing her to her massive spark mate. Where Saber was built for battle and sheer strength, Stardust was a little more balanced, only a few feet shorter than her spark mate but much, much sleeker. The silver femme was a huntress, so swift on her paws that no Cybertronian alive could outrun her. Only the aerials could beat her for speed.

Tall for a femme, her legs were long, ending with dainty paws that were tipped with short but sharp gray claws. Her body was long and her chest was deep, giving her a greater capacity for air so that she could boost her speed over short distances. Her armor was thick, not nearly as thick as Saber's, but still more than enough to stop most bullets and blades. Her tail waved lightly through the air, giving her a lighter-than-air appearance, even moreso when she walked. Her neck was longer than Saber's but not as thick, and her skull was sleek but her jaws were still packed with sharp dentals that promised death with a single bite.

Andante had always seen Stardust as a second mother, and he remembered how graceful and quiet she had always been every time he came to play with Warrior Star. She was the complete opposite of her spark mate but they were perfectly matched in every way. Saber was powerful, Stardust was graceful. They were caring creators to their four cubs, and they had been two of the greatest Guardians to ever patrol Cybertron. It was still a mystery to Andante how they had died, and as he stared at them, standing there in Limbo, he realized that he would probably never know.

Saber's ears twitched and the mech raised his head so suddenly that Andante jumped in surprise. The white mech's ears flicked back and forth, then he turned his head to stare at his spark mate. Stardust's amber optics were bright as she stared at The Mists, then she turned and met Saber's gaze before they spoke as one.

"The hunt is on. Now the true test begins." Andante looked back and forth between the two wolves, but they said nothing else, merely turning to stare at The Mists once more. The black saboteur turned his gaze to the far side as well, feeling uneasiness curling in his spark at their words.

_Primus, I hope she's alright…_

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><p><strong>AN: *grumbles* Not my best chapter. Been so bloody busy these last few days...hrrmph. Haven't had the time or the energy to write...been a long haul. Anyway! Next chapter should have some more action in it...been planning this one for quite awhile. Getting it to sound right...completely different story altogether.**

**sweettea1 and KayleeChiara, thank you for reviewing on the last chapter! Guess that one didn't go over as well as I hoped. And Xepher06, you're finally just about caught up on the story! lol**

**Thank you as always to my readers, reviewers, favoriters, and followers. You guys are wonderful!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	39. End Of All Hope

Warrior Star pounded through The Mists, her cobalt blue optics wild as she followed Shadowfang. Her system was cycling air as fast as it could to try and keep her cool, each gust of air emerging with a guttural grunt from deep in the femme's chest as she charged ever faster into the unknown.

_Why is he running from me?_ She wondered, snarling aloud as The Mists grew darker and thicker around her, making it harder for her to track her brother. She was following him now by the sound of his paws on the ground and his scent, twisting and turning in response to his movements as she blindly trailed him. The ground dropped from her feet so suddenly that she had no chance to stop.

Plunging downwards with a startled yelp, her spark spun wildly in her chest as she desperately moved her legs in an effort to stay upright…whichever way up was. The steep slope met her again with agonizing force, and she slammed down hard on her side before skidding down the cliff on her back with a strangled howl of pain. She hit the bottom hard enough that she bounced, rolling over in midair to land on her opposite side before sliding almost a hundred feet, then she came to a halt.

Alarms and damage reports blared through her processor, and Warrior Star's optics flickered before coming back online as she slowly shook her head with a soft growl. She raised her head to try and figure out where she was, then her spark froze in cold shock at what greeted her.

Shadowfang stood before her, flame red optics cold and emotionless as he stared straight into her optics. Between his forepaws, crumpled and bloody and broken, was the body of William Lennox. Her shocked gaze locked on the human for a few long moments, then her optics rose to meet her brother's stare. His lip plates lifted, showing his gleaming silver dentals, sharp and jagged…now streaked with Will's blood.

Warrior Star's spark went cold, her entire frame trembling as she struggled to process what she was seeing. Her processor was running wild, trying to come up with a reasonable answer as to why Will was…was gone, and why his blood was coating her brother's dentals.

"He was weak." Shadowfang's voice split the air between them, and Warrior Star instantly looked at the human's broken body again when the steel gray mech reached out a forepaw to prod the body nonchalantly.

Something snapped, deep in the bronze femme's spark, and slowly, her cobalt blue optics rose to her brother's flame red gaze again. His optics narrowed at what he saw in his sister's optics, and he took a half step forward as he bared his bloody dentals in a chilling snarl before he spoke again.

"The human made you weak, sister. He made you soft, made you forget about your pack, your _family_, your oath as a Guardian, and everything you stood for. His…_pathetic_ influence turned one of the most powerful femmes in the history of our race into a sad example of Cybertronian weakness. You need to remember who you are, get your savagery back. It was that savagery that got you through those millennia after the Autobots _abandoned_ you and left you to rot deep in the cold expanses of space." Warrior Star lowered her head as Shadowfang spoke, her optics flickering and going offline as her spark lit with rage.

_He's wrong…this isn't Shadowfang…this isn't the brother that I helped to raise, that I led, that I taught, and that watched my back all those millennia ago…_ Her optics came back online, hard, cold, and filled with rage as she met his gaze again. Keeping her optics locked on his, Warrior Star slowly pushed herself to her feet, allowing the rage that was burning in her spark to fill her entire massive frame like a raging inferno. The alarms, error reports, and warnings flashing in front of her optics vanished as she bared her dentals in a snarl even more chilling than Shadowfang's, then she spoke, her voice cold as ice.

"You're wrong, _brother._ The human has a name…William Lennox. And he cared about me when no one else would, when the Autobots were trying to take me down. He even had the guts to stand up to the rest of the pack _and _to the Autobots, to defend me, when he barely even knew me. And I know, for a _fact,_ that you are not Shadowfang. My brother cherished life, he always has. The real Shadowfang sacrificed his frame to defend the very human lying between your paws. Whoever you are, whatever you are, you should not have come here. You should not have tested my rage, because now, you die." Leaping forward with a roar, Warrior Star closed the distance between them, slamming into the mech and sinking her dentals into his muzzle as he bellowed in pain.

Twisting hard, the mech brought his claws down on her shoulder, ripping through the armor plates and tearing through the wires, cables, and energon lines beneath as the bronze femme grunted and let go, leaping back to get clear. But he followed, his claws raking across her face and nearly blinding her as she screamed in agony. The rage in her spark came back with a vengeance, and she shook the energon from her optics before striking out with a forepaw and breaking his bottom jaw. He stumbled back with a roar, but she was there, her dentals sinking into his helm before ripping it off, leaving the proto-skull exposed.

Warrior Star whipped around, kicking out with her rear paws and slamming them into his side to knock him rolling, her claws tearing off several plates of armor as he tumbled across the ground. But he recovered fast, turning to meet her next charge with his jaws spread wide, despite the fracture in his bottom jaw. She coughed in shock as his maw closed on her throat and severed several cables and lines, the force from the sudden stop whipping her feet from beneath her as he slammed her down onto her back.

Onlining her optics, she saw the insanity in his gaze, and she knew that he was going to offline her. And then…_she_ was there. The roar of fury seemed to shake the very air around them, and the mech only had enough time to look up before War Beast's jaws closed on his skull, destroying both his optics and forcing him to let Warrior Star go as he stumbled back with a scream of pain.

Yet the other femme followed, locking her jaws even tighter before she braced her paws, shaking her head as hard as she could. The mech's paws left the ground as War Beast shook him like a rag, and Warrior Star could hear various parts in the mech's frame creaking under the strain. Still snarling with fury, War Beast twisted, raising herself onto her hind paws before slamming back down onto all fours, smashing the mech into the ground with enough force to snap his spine. His cry of pain split the air like a crack of thunder, then War Beast slammed a huge forepaw onto the mech's chest, his armor collapsing under the force as he gasped in shock. Yet she still didn't let go.

For just a moment, her blood red optics flickered to Warrior Star's, and the two femmes stared at each other. Warrior Star already knew what her dark sister was asking, even without the other femme saying a word.

_End him._ Warrior Star said softly through their link, and she saw the understanding that flickered through War Beast's optics, then her gaze hardened once more. With one final rumbling snarl, War Beast concentrated all the power at her disposal, and she closed her jaws. The mech's skull groaned under the pressure, then collapsed, the femme's powerful jaws tearing it into pieces, and his processor with it. His frame went tense with a sharp whine, then the sound died away, and the mech's spark died with it.

Warrior Star's head hit the ground with a metallic _thunk_ as her dark sister stepped off of the dead mech, and her cobalt blue optics flickered offline. War Beast hurried to her, and she could sense the other femme's distress.

_What now?_ She asked, nudging Warrior Star with her nose uneasily. The femme stayed silent, processor turning quietly as she thought about everything that had happened, every little thing that led up to where she lay now, covered in her own energon, too weak to carry on.

_Find Shadowfang, the real Shadowfang, and make sure he gets back across that slagging bridge. I came here, WE came here, to find him and bring him home. See to it, dark sister._ Even though she couldn't see her, Warrior Star could sense what her dark sister was thinking.

_What about you?_ The femme asked, nudging Warrior Star again. A rather sad smirk crossed her mouth plates, and she onlined her optics again just long enough to meet her dark sister's gaze.

_Leave me here. I will only slow you down._ The shock and anger that flashed through War Beast's optics didn't surprise Warrior Star in the least, nor did her dark sister's words.

_No! I'll take you back to the bridge first, then I'll continue the search for the gray one._ Fighting with everything she had, Warrior Star rolled onto her stomach, then managed to rise to her feet, shaky but standing, as she met War Beast's gaze again.

_Do NOT concern yourself with me! I will find my own way. As it stands, Shadowfang is still in more danger of becoming a permanent resident here than we are. He's been here longer. Find him, dark sister. He needs you more than I do._ The two femmes stared at each other, cobalt blue to blood red. Finally, War Beast deflated, lowering her head as she cycled air through her frame in a heavy sigh.

_Fine, light sister. I will do as you ask. But I WILL return for you. I swear it._ They stared at each other for a moment longer, then War Beast turned, slowly walking away as The Mists grew thicker and closed around Warrior Star once more.

The damage reports and alarms came back with a vengeance, and Warrior Star trembled before slowly sitting down, feeling her hot energon rolling slowly down her armor as the world grew dim and fuzzy around her.

_At least…one of us…will make it back…_ The bronze femme thought, then her optics went dark and she fell into the blackness of stasis.

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><p><strong>AN: I promised a fight...somewhere...I think...anyway! At least I finally managed to get this one written in a way I liked. Been thinking about this confrontation for awhile now, trying to figure out how to make it work, even down to _who_ would be involved in the fight. I know I set Shadowfang-not-Shadowfang in there, since he ran in the last chapter. I was trying to figure out if I should involve anyone else, but decided to stop at him.**

**To my reviewers, favoriters, followers, and readers, thank you as always for your readership!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	40. Eternity

War Beast couldn't shake the feeling that she was making a mistake, leaving Warrior Star behind with such incredible injuries. But she couldn't ignore the look in the other femme's optics, the strength in her words.

_The gray one needs me…he is the reason we are both here. I must find him. I must._ She thought, grinding her dentals in an unconscious display of anger as she prowled through The Mists, her optics gleaming so brightly that the air was red around her. She didn't have a fragging clue where to search for the mech, nor was there any sign of him. It was as if he never even existed in the first place.

_How am I supposed to find him when I can't even SEE!_ War Beast thought furiously, then she planted her massive paws, threw her head back, and howled her rage to a hidden sky. Lowering her head and snarling under her breath, she took one step forward…then froze when an answering howl reached her sharp audios.

_Could it be…?_ Pivoting sharply to face the general direction from which the answering cry had originated, she raised her head, listening hard, before howling again. War Beast waited anxiously, straining her audios to the max, then she tensed when a soft yip echoed back at her. Without any hesitation, she plunged forward, unable to ignore the hope that curled through her spark at the thought that she had found Shadowfang.

The distance disappeared under her mighty paws as she blindly raced through The Mists, pausing every little while to howl or yip or bark before correcting when the answering call reached her. War Beast had a feeling that she was getting close, when suddenly, The Mists vanished, and she was blinded by the brilliant rays of the sun.

Yowling aloud in shock, the bronze femme slammed to a halt, stumbling over a fallen log and nearly crashing to the ground but catching her balance at the last moment. She onlined her optics with a muffled whine of pain, raising her head to look around. She vented sharply in surprise at the sight that greeted her.

A whole new world was right at the tip of War Beast's paws, untouched by war and pain. The sun shone brightly in a brilliant blue sky, and a soft breeze touched the tips of her ears, bringing the scent of wildflowers to her nose as her optics took in green fields, beautiful old trees, and a stretch of mountains so rugged and wild that her spark leaped at the thought of conquering them. The whisper of paws in the grass at her side made her rip her optics from the beauty surrounding her to stare at the source of the sound.

Shadowfang, the real Shadowfang, stood next to her, his flame red optics filled with curiosity when he realized he wasn't staring at his sister. War Beast took in the sight of the mech, and she couldn't help but take note of the fact that his armor was intact and gleaming proudly and that he moved with no sign of pain.

"War Beast, what are you doing here?" Shadowfang asked, cocking his head to stare at the bronze femme intently. She found herself speaking before she even realized she had opened her mouth.

"We've been searching for you, mech. We came to bring you back." Her voice was soft and quiet, for the first time that she could remember. Shadowfang's optics narrowed at her words, and when he replied, his tone was cautious and uncertain.

"We?" War Beast blinked at him, puzzled with how confused he seemed.

"Yes, gray one. We. Myself and Warrior Star have had quite a time, trying to find you. She would be here with me, but she was injured…we need to get back to the bridge as soon as possible. I need to go back for her." Instantly, the mech perked up at the mention of his sister, and he stepped forward as his optics glinted in the sunlight.

"Injured? Where?" War Beast bared her dentals in spite of herself, turning to face The Mists, only to find that, to her shock…there was nothing behind her, only more open fields. Instantly, she whirled on her paws, dread filling her spark as she looked around wildly.

_No…_ She thought, panic gripping her in an iron grip as she shot back in the direction from which she had come, searching frantically for any sign of The Mists, or anything leading back to where she had come from. Realization struck her so suddenly that she slammed to a halt, feeling a creeping numbness gripping her frame.

She and Shadowfang had both been judged. They were in Eternity.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the late update! I was taking some time to chill with my buddies during the long weekend, that and I had to move...what a drag. Anyway, short chapter here, but at least it's something, right?**

**Yes, cliffhanger. Yes, evil cliffhanger. And I wrote myself into a corner again...now I have to write myself out of the blasted thing. Sigh...looks like it's going to be a loooooong week.**

**CatGirlFireFlare: Whoa! Didn't expect that kind of reaction! I'll make it better, I swear!**

**DJ Meltdown of Ground Xero: Thanks! And welcome to the story! Glad you're enjoying it!**

**FORD B: Welcome, and thank you! I take great pride in my writing, so I'm glad you like the story!**

**sweettea1: Yeah, I'm tricky like that. Try and keep the readers guessing. I'm sure you must hate me right now.**

**Xepher06: I do delight in throwing curve balls, lol! And you caught up! XD**

**To my favoriters, readers, followers, and reviewers, thank you all so much!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	41. Unexpected Aid

_No…_ War Beast stood trembling, her red optics dark with a multitude of emotions as she struggled to process what had happened. One moment, she had been pelting blindly through The Mists, trying to find Shadowfang, then suddenly she had found him…and had found herself somewhere she didn't want to be.

"Not here…anywhere but here…" She whispered, her voice tortured as the massive steel gray mech approached to stand at her shoulder.

"What are you talking about? Where is my sister?" Shadowfang asked, his flame red optics burning as he stared at the bronze femme that looked so much like his sister…yet was the farthest thing from her. She turned halfway to him, her head low and her optics downcast as she quietly said a response.

"Warrior Star…is out of reach, gray one. I came too far in my search for you…and have doomed us both. Forgive me." His optics narrowed at her words, and he stepped forward with dentals bared in a cold snarl that had her spark clenching. She shuttered her optics, turning her head so that the armor plates of her neck were exposed, and prepared herself for the inevitable bite that would crush her armor and end her life. But it never came.

"Wha are ya doin'?" The voice startled them both, and War Beast _felt_ the air whistle as Shadowfang's huge muzzle swung past her face to fixate on the source of the voice. The femme and the mech both stilled at the sight that greeted them.

The mech was short and his armor was silver, his visor glowing a gentle blue even in the sunlight as he stared at them both. His voice was almost comically deep for a mech his size, and his exaggerated accent brought a smile creeping across the mouth plates of both of the wolves.

Memories of the mech exploded in the femme's processor, and she felt her optics dim as she remembered watching this mech somersault and cavort playfully through the optics of her light sister…an outsider looking in, remembering memories that were not her own. The curse that she and Warrior Star shared, for until now, War Beast had never met this mech herself…for they had been banished after War Beast had slain the mech's son.

"Jazz…what are you doing here?"

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><p>Keystone was tired. Not the normal kind of tired either. He was weary down to his frame. The struggle to keep Shadowfang and Warrior Star online, followed by the shocking blow to his spark when Shadowfang had offlined…a lesser mech would have gone into stasis long ago. But Keystone was no average mech. No member of his family was.<p>

Golden optics gleaming, the massive black mech quietly entered the hangar where Shadowfang's body was undergoing repair. First Aid was doing well in the repairs; Shadowfang would be complete and whole with a couple more days of work, his armor being the only exception.

_But that is Ironhide's specialty, not the medic's,_ Keystone thought as he stood over his brother's body, his optics surveying the repaired areas in a dispassionate way before he turned his attention to the armor plates that had been deemed sound by the armor smith. Shadowfang's intact armor gleamed brightly under the artificial light, as thick and strong as it had always been.

_Yet it wasn't even close to being enough against a monster like Driller…but still Shadowfang fought._ Keystone pondered, then turned to face his brother's body again. His optics fell on the steel gray mech's faceplates, and finally, his gaze softened. He stared at his brother's dark optics for the longest time, then spoke aloud, his voice soft and quiet.

"I remember the day you were sparked, Shadowfang. What a tiny little thing you were, all paws and ears and tail. So clumsy, but unafraid. Warrior Star and I must have followed you around for days until you finally got your balance and your bearings…you never did understand the meaning of 'no' at that age. But you still grew up too fast, brother…some days I wish you were still that little cub, because then…then our family would be whole and happy again. Then again, nothing ever stays the same, all the young things must grow old…the universe stops for no one." Keystone fell quiet, his gaze thoughtful as he stared at the gray mech a moment longer before finally turning and leaving the hangar.

Making his way across the complex on auto pilot, Keystone paused at another door, rapping his claws across it and waiting for a moment. Once it opened, he proceeded inward, his optics rapidly adjusting to the change in light before his gaze fell on the bright blue medic and his mentor, where they stood talking in a corner. Both mechs greeted him with a nod, and he returned it as he walked silently across the room until he reached a berth near the back. On it was sprawled the offline frame of his sister, every plate of bronze armor removed so that the medics could access every section of her frame.

Warrior Star's injuries would have sent a lesser 'Bot to the Well of All Sparks; as it was, the only reason she was still online was because of Swiftpaw and Keystone. The mighty black mech stared down at his sister, watching her spark spin softly in her chest as several machines monitored her vital signs. Most of the damage she had suffered had been repaired, but there were still several injuries that required Ratchet and Jolt's skilled attention.

The femme's armor was with Ironhide, undergoing a complete overhaul. With the demise of Driller and Shockwave, the massive weapons' specialist had new material to experiment with, and Keystone knew that the mech was tweaking Warrior Star's armor to make it stronger.

_He always said that she was the best test subject for new armor alloys…sister is rather infamous for destroying armor quickly._ Keystone thought, slightly amused as he studied his sister with gentle optics.

"Fear not, Keystone. Warrior Star is doing very well. We expect her to wake up any day now." Ratchet said softly, having approached the mech carefully as he was examining the offline femme.

"I do not fear for her, Ratchet. Warrior Star has survived much in her existence…all I fear now is how she will react when she onlines to find that Shadowfang is gone." Keystone murmured softly in reply, noting from the corner of his golden optics that the medic's blue optics had gone dim in quiet understanding.

The mechs turned their attention back to Warrior Star, each lost in his own thoughts, before Ratchet finally reached for his tools and started working on the femme again.

Keystone turned and left just as quietly as he came, gently tugging on Swiftpaw's spark as he went.

_Sister should be awake soon, the medic says._ He spoke softly through the bond, feeling the gold mech's relief before he spoke in return.

_What of Shadowfang?_ Keystone felt his brother's sorrow at the mention of their brother's name, and he sent a wave of comfort Swiftpaw's way before he replied.

_His repairs are nearly done. He is awaiting armor completion, then we can begin the ceremonies. But we shall wait until Warrior Star is back online…I do not want to proceed without her._ The black mech waited until he felt a gentle tug of acceptance from Swiftpaw, then both of them retreated from the bond as Keystone headed to their hangar for a much needed recharge.

_Perhaps tomorrow, Warrior Star will be awake…perhaps tomorrow, things will be better._ The wolf thought, then entered the hangar, his black armor gleaming for a moment in the sunlight before he disappeared into the shadows.

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><p><strong>AN: Rawr. Tired. What a long flippin' week...anyhow...YES! I brought Jazz into it. Crafty little bugger is going to help War Beast and Shadowfang with their predicament. :) Keystone needed some love too...haven't written from his point of view in awhile.**

**CatGirlFireflare: HOLY SLAG! *dodges flipping table* Anything else you want to throw? ROFL**

**DJ Meltdown of Ground Xero: Thank you! :)**

**Chippr: Yeeeeesssss...I'm evil. Guilty as charged. :)**

**Xepher06: 'Fraid so. I went there. Still working on writing myself outta that corner, but Jazz will play a big part in that.**

**sweettea1: Um...breathe? It will all be made clear soon! I swear!**

**FORD B: Yeah, cliffies are one of my specialties. That and sending readers into a frenzy. Note CatGirl's table flipping.**

**KayleeChiara: Yeah, I'm not surprised someone saw me doing the whole judgement thing. Or did I? ;) Guess we'll find out soon enough!**

**Last chapter brought quite the landslide in reviews, favorites, and new followers! Thank you all so much for your readership! Nearly 5,000 views for the story and over 1,100 visitors! You peeps ROCK!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	42. Sacrifice

_Jazz…_ Shadowfang thought, his flame red optics narrowing as he stared at the silver saboteur cautiously. To his credit, the mech was everything Shadowfang remembered him to be, small, bouncy, and downright fearless.

"Oh, Ah know what Ah'm doin' here, mech. Da true question is, wha are YOU doin' here?" Jazz said, his accent making Shadowfang's ears twitch slightly as War Beast shifted uncomfortably at his side.

"I was fighting Shockwave and Driller, trying to protect that human, Lennox is his name. It would seem that my injuries were too great for me to stay online…my assumption now is that I'm dead." The steel gray mech replied, stiffening slightly in surprise as Jazz bounced forward until his visor was mere inches from Shadowfang's blazing optics, and they stared at each other closely.

"So ya are, mech. So ya are…but wha of that big ole sista a yers? Warrior Star? Where is she?" The saboteur asked, finally backing off enough for Shadowfang to vent softly without worrying about blowing the other mech over.

"Light sister is back in The Mists still." War Beast finally spoke, averting her blood red optics when the mechs turned their attention to her. The sudden booming laughter from Jazz made Shadowfang and War Beast both jump, and the steel gray wolf turned his attention back to the silver mech, who was holding his sides in near hysterical mirth.

"Da Mists? Slag, femme! Ya never left! Look around ya! Yer still right smack dab in da middle!" Shadowfang turned his attention back to War Beast as the femme cautiously looked around, her optics filled with confusion. The look on her face caused Jazz to calm down slightly, and the mech regained his composure for long enough to more thoroughly explain himself.

"Ah came here from Eternity ta help ya, femme. Ah know why ya came. And Ah know wha it is ya hafta do now. Ya see, Da Mists are tricky like dat. Ya might _think_ yer in Eternity, but trust meh, ya ain't. This around ya is wha Da Mists look like when they ain't…all misty. Ya follow?" A dawning comprehension filled the bronze femme's red optics, and slowly her head rose to meet Jazz's gaze.

"So…where is my light sister, then? Where is it that we must go?" Jazz lowered his head slightly in thought, turning his attention to the distant horizon as he pondered the femme's question. Shadowfang stood silently, slowly beginning to realize just what kind of an ordeal his sister's dark half had had to endure just to find him in this strange place.

"Ya see dat mountain, way back there ta da west? Ya hafta go there. Dat mountain marks da end a Da Mists. Da bridge back ta Limbo is just beyond its peak. Ya'll find Warrior Star somewhere between here an' there. Tread careful, though! Da Mists will sneak back up on ya when ya least expect! Good luck, femme!" Shadowfang started to walk in the direction that Jazz had indicated but stopped short when War Beast whirled suddenly to face the silver mech as he walked away.

"Mech, wait!" Jazz paused, looking at her over his shoulder with a look of curiosity stamped on his faceplates. Taking a hesitant step forward, she lowered her massive head, then raised it again to meet his gaze.

"Mech, for what it's worth…I am sorry for killing your son. I could try and justify myself with a thousand excuses, but they are just that…excuses. I appreciate everything you have done to help me, to help us…you didn't have to do it." Jazz turned back to fully face the femme, and to both her and Shadowfang's surprise, a gentle smile crossed the saboteur's face, then he spoke, dropping his accent as he did so.

"Femme, you have nothing to apologize for. Was I angry, and devastated, when Andante died? Of course. But if my journey in The Mists and my time in Eternity have taught me anything, it is how to forgive those that I blamed unjustly during my time online. I have been watching you the entire time I've been here, you and Warrior Star both, and I see now just how much you both have suffered due to Shockwave's interference. If there is one thing that I am hoping for now, it is that the both of you are able to find peace now that Shockwave is gone. Go now, for Warrior Star is running out of time. Find her, and get her home." The silver mech disappeared so suddenly that War Beast sprang back with a snarl of surprise, staring in shock at where he had been standing only a moment before. Shadowfang nudged her shoulder lightly with his nose, and she snapped out of her trance to stare at him.

"Come, femme. We must hurry." He said, feeling his spark twist and spin uneasily as she nodded, then they both turned and raced to the west, keeping their optics locked on the distant mountain as above them, storm clouds gathered. Lightning snarled and thunder rumbled as the sky grew darker and darker, and around them, wild howls and chilling cries rang through the air.

Something sprang at Shadowfang from his left, and he twisted in mid stride to bat it away as another landed on War Beast's shoulder and tore into her armor. The femme cried out in pain as the mech turned to assist, and he felt his spark freeze at what he saw. A small, deformed mech was digging his claws into a gap between War Beast's thick armor plates, and Shadowfang jolted when their optics met.

"Femme…must…pay…femme…must…_pay!_" The mech screeched, and with a snarl, Shadowfang's massive dentals closed on the mech's frame and crunched through his armor, crushing his frame. The steel gray mech threw him away as more and more of the strange mechs and femmes began to charge at them from the darkness as the storm raged around them.

"There are too many! We have to run!" Shadowfang roared as he swiped out with a massive paw, sending three of the crazy little creatures flying as War Beast snapped and snarled and spun, destroying anything in her reach.

"We can't escape from this many! They'll grab onto our legs and take us down! You go on, mech! I'll take care of them!" The huge mech bellowed in pain as one landed on his face and tried to slash his optics, and he stilled as War Beast's paw grazed his muzzle to tear his attacker from his face and send it flying into the darkness. Shaking his head to clear the energon from his optics, Shadowfang spun to glare at the femme as her jaws snapped closed inches from his face, catching another one midair and dispatching it as he roared at her.

"You can't possibly stand against this many! They'll rip your spark out!" Feeling one climbing his tail, Shadowfang dropped to his stomach and rolled, hearing the screams of pain as his massive frame and thick armor crushed several of them before he bounded back to his feet and shook himself hard enough that his frame creaked. He turned and howled his challenge to the skies, watching in satisfaction as his challenge caused those charging him to fall back and reconsider their attack.

Feeling the wild thrill of battle coursing through him as lightning flashed and thunder roared around him, Shadowfang went stiff with surprise at how quiet the words were of the femme behind him. He turned to face War Beast, staring into her blood red optics as she stared right back at him and spoke softly.

"And what do you think they'll do to Warrior Star, Shadowfang? She's not online. They'll tear her apart. Besides, they don't want you. They want me. Now run, mech. Run. Stay on course directly to the west and you'll find her. Find her and get her to the bridge. She and I came too far to return without you. Go on, mech. I'll be right behind you." With that, her optics darkened, and she howled her rage to the skies before charging straight into the middle of the monstrosities attacking them.

War Beast cleared a path for Shadowfang, using her speed, strength, and momentum to knock the surprised mechs and femmes flying, then she cut off to one side, racing away into the darkness. Howling with rage and screaming obscenities, the mass turned as one to follow her, leaving Shadowfang no choice but to head straight to the west.

As he charged into the dark and the storm, Shadowfang couldn't help but wonder what the femme was thinking. _She knows she can't fight all of them, so why…no…_

The answer hit him so suddenly that he stumbled in mid stride, staggering to a halt to look back over his shoulder when a booming roar of fury split the air, echoing with such ferocity that even Shadowfang shuddered.

_She knows she's not coming back…she's sacrificing herself. For me. For Warrior Star. But why?_ Hearing the hisses and screeches of approaching danger, Shadowfang took off, pouring all his speed into his paws as he charged across the earth.

_Doesn't matter now…have to focus. Have to stay ahead of them or I'll never reach Warrior Star in time._ With that thought running through his processor, Shadowfang locked his course due west and raced on.

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><p><strong>AN: Yep, I just had to bring my crazies back into it. Can't help but wonder just how many of my readers saw War Beast, the sacrificial lamb, coming. Not too many, I hope. And see? What did I tell you? The Mists are tricky, tricky, tricky!**

**DJ Meltdown: Thanks! I'm trying really hard to finish the story before I disappear for a month...it will probably be ending soon. Muse is decreeing the end, probably by chapter 50, I think.**

**FORD B: Thanks! ^.^**

**Xepher06: Yeah, I thought Jazz was a nice touch. And SURPRISE! They weren't in Eternity! Aren't I just a killjoy...lol. :)**

**TheGhost129: :) Hope you liked this chapter!**

**sweettea1: Yeah, Jazz's gangster talk is interesting to write...bloody accents. -.- Anyhow! Thanks for the review! :)**

**CatGirlFireflare: Thank Primus you didn't throw a table this time! I still have to replace that, by the way... *grumbles* lmao, thanks for the review!**

**mayalewis16: Wish granted! ^.^**

**Thank you to my dear readers, followers, favoriters, and reviewers! Over 5,500 views and 1,100 visitors to the story this month alone! Ya'll ROCK!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	43. Say Goodbye

Something strange was going on in The Mists. Andante had been sitting in Limbo for too long to not notice what was going on. They were darker than usual, and he could hear the thunder rumbling and snarling on the other side. Intermittent flashes of lightning made The Mists brighten and darken every few seconds, and a strange wind was blowing across the chasm separating the two places.

Saber stood beside the black saboteur, his ice blue optics narrowed as he stared intently at the other side. Andante looked at him, wondering if he knew what was going on, then the massive white mech spoke, his voice soft and calm.

"One of them found Shadowfang. There is no doubt. But…something strange has happened…something that, it would seem, not even those that pass judgment expected…" The white wolf fell silent, his optics dark and troubled, and Andante turned his attention back to The Mists just as a massive flash of lightning lit the entire area. The roar of thunder that followed was so loud that the younger mech jumped, his white optics glittering uneasily as he spoke aloud without thinking.

"I hope she's okay…" From the corner of one optic, he noted that Saber's huge head had turned towards him, and when he saw the slight amusement in the other mech's optics, he turned and met his gaze.

"You always have been quite fond of Warrior Star, haven't you?" The white mech asked, his gaze not leaving Andante's.

The black mech was stumped. It was one question he never anticipated about the wild bronze femme that he had always considered to be one of his closest friends. It was also a question he never expected from the mighty white wolf. Coming back to his thoughts with a proverbial _thud_, Andante snapped back into focus, realizing that Saber was awaiting his answer.

"She was always so kind, sir. Even when my creators were too busy to play with me, Warrior Star would make the journey to come see me and spend time with me, so I wasn't alone. Once I got old enough, I'd start going to her instead, since I always found your home so much more peaceful than my own. One of the curses of having my creators up to their optics in Cybertron's politics." Here Andante chuckled, unaware of the oily tears slowly building in his optics as Saber looked at him sadly.

"She always brought me peace, Warrior Star did…up until the day I died. That day…I knew it wasn't her…but I had to try to stop her. Her optics were…so angry…so full of pain, and betrayal. Everything about her was wrong, but I couldn't bear to see her in so much pain…so I went to her. I tried, Saber. I swear I did…but I couldn't break through. I knew she was going to kill me when she charged…but I stood my ground, in the vain hope that she might stop at the last second. To be honest, I didn't feel it when her jaws and claws closed on me. All I could do was stare into those blood red optics. And somewhere, deep inside, I saw her, for a brief second. I could sense her horror, and her agony. And it was at that moment that I knew that my sacrifice…would not be in vain." Andante stopped speaking, suddenly aware of the tears pouring down his face. He raised his gaze to Saber's again, seeing only quiet understanding in the white mech's gaze. Andante lowered his gaze, shuttering his optics as he gently wiped away his tears. He raised his head when Saber spoke.

"You would have followed her from one end of the universe to the other, wouldn't you? If you had not died that day?" The black saboteur pondered his answer, suddenly becoming aware of what Saber was really asking. He met the white mech's gaze again, answering without hesitation.

"Yes, yes I would have. My only hope now is that she eventually finds a mech that will understand her as I did, a mech that will complete her and bring her peace. A mech that will be there forever. She's my best friend, and somewhere in some reality that we don't see, I stayed at her side. But here, I can't, so out of my love for her, I'm hoping she finds someone that can." Both mechs turned to face The Mists again, watching as the storm raged on.

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><p>Warrior Star came back online in the middle of one of the most hellacious storms she had ever known. Cobalt blue optics snapped online and narrowed, and she pushed herself to her feet, wondering <em>how<em> she had come back online. The gentle nudge in her processor from War Beast caught her attention immediately.

_What is it, dark sister? What has happened?_ She asked, snarling softly when a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree, the thunder shaking her to her frame as the tree caught fire and burned.

_I found him, the gray one. He is heading to you now. He should be there soon._ Warrior Star's spark filled with relief, and a grin crossed her jaws as she replied.

_Thank you, dark one. I don't think anyone could have pulled that off but you. But where are you? Aren't you with him?_ The silence stretched between them, and Warrior Star caught a vague whisper of uneasiness from her darker half, then the other femme spoke.

_No…we ran into some trouble…remember those deformed mechs and femmes that attacked me earlier? They came back in force…I went one way to distract them, so that the gray one could find you and get you out of here. I'm fighting them now…hopefully he was able to get far enough away before they realized what we had done._ Warrior Star felt a cold dread bleed into her limbs, and her optics narrowed in thought. But before she could respond, a sharp ping echoed through her processor, and she snapped her head up just in time for something to crash into her.

Both of them tumbled for several meters, and she managed to roll sharply and spring to her paws. But before she could strike, a familiar voice spoke.

"Warrior Star?" Her blazing cobalt blue optics met an agonizingly familiar pair of flame red optics, and she felt her spark freeze.

"Shadowfang." Instantly she went to him, pressing her forehead against his as he trembled against her. Any words that she wanted to say were left unsaid when the steel gray mech raised his head and twisted to face the darkness, a snarl leaving his jaws. Warrior Star's sharp audios caught the rapid patter of approaching feet and wild screeches and howls, then Shadowfang whirled to face her, his optics wild.

"We have to go, sister. There are too many to fight." As he tried to push her along, she stood her ground, reaching out to War Beast through their bond once more.

_Don't. You. Dare._ She snarled, feeling a rather dark amusement coming from the dark femme before she replied.

_Too late, light sister. I already have. I…never belonged, not in your world. It was only because of Shockwave that I came to be. You and I were both sent here for a reason…it is only fitting that I am the one to stay. I never had a body of my own, and even though you were strong enough to endure the strain through the millennia, your processor couldn't handle us both. You would have kept losing your memories, until you couldn't even remember who you were. I stay now of my own free will…now go, Warrior Star. You've spent so long in exile…it's time for you to move on. What has been done can never be undone, but you shouldn't keep your life on hold for something that, ultimately, was not your fault. The saboteur will live on in your spark…as will I. Now go, light sister. Go._

Before Warrior Star could reply, she felt a ghost of pain from War Beast, then suddenly…the other femme was gone. A sudden emptiness filled her processor, and she twisted to face the darkness as one final echoing howl split the sky. The howl was filled with a combination of pain and rage, but also a strange sense of joy, of freedom. She stood there, stunned, as the howl died away, then Shadowfang was there, using his massive frame to turn her in the right direction and force her to run.

Warrior Star ran, not even processing why she was running or in which direction, only that Shadowfang would nudge her here and there to correct her course. She didn't notice when the storm started to clear out, or when The Mists brightened around them. The sound of her paws thundering across wood is what finally brought the bronze femme back to reality.

Snapping her head up, she felt her optics go wide in shock as she found herself tearing across the bridge separating Limbo from The Mists, Shadowfang right behind her. The second she stepped off the bridge, she slammed to a halt, sending dirt flying from beneath her paws as the steel gray mech nearly slammed into her. She twisted to face The Mists once more, feeling the lingering emptiness in her processor where War Beast had lingered for so long. The voices behind her made her turn around slowly.

"You did it! Well done, Warrior Star!" It was Andante, his white optics filled with joy and relief as he bounced up to her. She looked into his optics, finally relaxing as she took the time to stare at her oldest friend.

"Indeed, but it could not have happened without War Beast." At her words, everyone went strangely still, looking for the other bronze femme. It was Stardust that finally asked the question that Warrior Star was sure that they were all thinking.

"And where is the other femme?" Feeling her spark twist slightly, Warrior Star looked back at The Mists, feeling strangely disconnected as she answered softly.

"Gone. She sacrificed herself so that Shadowfang and I could escape." The quiet intake of air from behind her made her turn back around, and suddenly, she realized something.

"Andante…you're fading…" The black saboteur looked down, his white optics going wide when he realized he could see through his own hands. He raised his head, meeting Warrior Star's troubled gaze again as it clicked.

"Now I understand…I wasn't trapped here because of you. I was trapped because of her. Now that she has passed into Eternity…I can finally follow." Warrior Star felt her spark jolt in cold shock, but she knew she couldn't stop him. She stepped aside, watching sadly as the black mech slowly made his way to the bridge, then he paused to look back at her. She approached immediately, pressing her nose to his chest as he ran his hands down her face.

"Be careful…The Mists are a slagging crazy place. I will see you there, someday." Their optics met, and then the saddest smile crossed Andante's face.

"Yes, you will. But there is something I want you to do for me. Live. Stop carrying the guilt of my death on your shoulders. Go out and find a mech that can stay at your side forever, and be _happy_. I know that you kept yourself in isolation out of your guilt over what happened to me, but you've held yourself responsible for long enough. Live for me, Warrior Star. Live for _yourself_. I will always be with you in your spark." He patted her head one last time, then turned and started his crossing. Warrior Star raised her head and watched as he crossed the bridge, then disappeared into The Mists beyond. Then she threw her head back and howled.

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><p><strong>AN: Wow, I'm like so late on updating. Sorry, been really busy and tired, and for whatever reason, the plot bunnies decided that it was a great week to take a vacation. Bloody hell...stupid plot bunnies...**

**Anyway! Yes. Terrible chapter. Tear-jerker, I hate it. But War Beast had to go, really...this seemed a fitting way to send her off. That and her loss allowed Andante to cross into Eternity finally...again, she had to go. She was an interesting character to write...I did enjoy the split persona writing.**

**And I got an interesting idea for a possible sequel early this morning...everything that happened here is a little bit of foreshadowing for it. BUT we'll see...I have a few other stories to finish first...**

**1Timberwolf: Yes, I did love bringing Jazz into it! It seemed fitting.**

**FORD B: Cliffhangers are a favorite of mine...though I tend to drive people mad for it. :)**

**kittychan125: Request granted. ;) Thanks for the review!**

**CatGirlFireflare: Okay, I am DEFINITELY ready for another table to be thrown. *runs***

**DJ Meltdown: Thanks!**

**Xepher06: Yeah, I know. :( And she didn't take the news well, did she?**

**Cairistona: Wow, you ARE far behind! Silly school! LOL**

**To all of my readers, favoriters, reviewers, and followers, thank you so much for your patience and your readership! :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	44. Back Online

Moonflight had taken to the skies early in the morning, his dark red optics focused on the distant sun as it slowly made its way over the horizon, signaling the beginning to yet another Earth day. He shuttered his optics and stilled his wings, riding the air currents as he gladly let the sun's rays soak into his frame.

_These last few weeks have been trying…of that, I have no doubt._ He thought, onlining his optics and looking down as he slowly circled the Autobot base, focusing his gaze on nothing in particular as his processor wandered.

The Autobots had been surprisingly accepting of his presence, and they seemed to take comfort in the fact that Warrior Star considered him a friend. Will Lennox was a puzzle to Moonflight…the mech had killed his family, yet the human was strangely accepting of him.

_Can it be because I saved him from Driller? Or does Warrior Star's presence in both of our lives have something to do with it?_ The golden brown mech wondered, shaking his head slightly in irritation. His helm was missing, due to the fact that Ironhide was removing the Decepticon insignia from it. Moonflight had not requested to have the Autobot insignia stamped on it, for a few reasons. First and foremost, he hadn't requested to join their ranks. Second, and more importantly, Moonflight agreed with Warrior Star when it came to factions. He had nearly lost his oldest friend over his allegiance to his faction, and he wasn't going to make that same mistake twice.

Still focused on his internal musing, Moonflight only barely registered the movement below him, and out of sheer habit alone, he turned his optics to get a better look. The rising sun cast long shadows off of all of the buildings, but he still instantly identified the wolf below him. It was Keystone, leaving Ratchet's medical hangar.

_Probably just got done visiting Warrior Star…_ Moonflight thought, then he felt his spark freeze in shock when the wolf stepped into the sunlight.

It wasn't Keystone. It was Warrior Star. Her bronze armor, having been repaired by Ironhide then reattached to her frame while she was still in stasis, gleamed proudly in the light from the rising sun.

Still frozen in shock, Moonflight plummeted from the sky, processor spinning wildly in a frantic attempt to figure out just _how_ she was awake. Her optics turned to him when her sharp audios registered the sound of the wind whistling through his feathers, then she moved.

As a Predacon, Moonflight's ability to track the fastest of movements was second to none. However, not even he could track Warrior Star as she closed the distance between them and leaped into the air to gently catch the thunderbird in her massive jaws. She came back to earth just as gracefully as she had left it, and she bounded a few paces before slowing to a halt and carefully place his twitching frame on the ground. Raising her head and stepping back, Warrior Star looked down at him, her cobalt blue optics dark with concern, then she spoke.

"Are you all right, Moonflight?" His head snapped up at her words, and he stared at her with wide optics. She was…different. He could sense it. Her voice was the same gentle, warm tone, but it held more depth now, like the resounding ring of a great bronze bell. Her optics were that same wild cobalt blue, but there was…something new, a depth and a strange sort of peace he had never seen. In her optics was the timeless wisdom of a soul that had seen far more than she ever could have in one lifetime, or even two. But there was also an aching sadness in her gaze that made his spark tighten in his chest. Something great and terrible had happened while she was offline. There was no doubt in his processor.

Finally coming back to his senses, Moonflight scrambled to his feet, nodding rapidly at her to let her know he was all right. Shooting him a doubtful look but not questioning him further, she turned and walked on, moving with a flowing grace that made him stop and stare.

_What happened to her?_ Moonflight wondered stupidly, then he realized she was leaving him behind, and he swiftly shot into the sky to follow her. Warrior Star was walking with her head held high, her optics focused straight ahead as she passed every mech and femme she came to in silence. Like Moonflight, they all stopped and stared at her, every single one of them sensing that something had changed in the femme.

Moonflight didn't take the time to stop and chat, more curious with exactly where it was Warrior Star was going as they crossed the base, the femme's presence making every other Cybertronian scuttle out of the way as she prowled by, a true predator in every sense of the word.

As they came across the flight line, Keystone and Swiftpaw emerged from their hangar, both mechs freezing when they saw their sister as she walked right by them, not even saying a word to them. Moonflight heard their claws scraping on the tarmac when they recovered from their shock and hurried to follow the bronze femme.

Finally, they reached their destination: the hangar holding Shadowfang's body. Warrior Star didn't hesitate for a moment, raising one massive paw to rip the door open and nearly tearing it from its hinges. Moonflight came back to earth clumsily, hurrying inside to see what she would do when she found her favorite brother dead and gone. He watched with bated breath when she stared down at Shadowfang for the longest of moments, then she reached one paw under his massive jaw and triggered his system reboot protocol.

"Sister, it won't work. He's…" Keystone started to say, then he went speechless with shock when Shadowfang's frame jerked and his spark started humming in his chest, bathing them all in a pure white light as his systems came online one by one.

"Gone?" Swiftpaw finished Keystone's sentence, all the mechs watching in astonishment as Shadowfang's frame tensed and relaxed several times until the system reboot was complete, then his flame red optics flickered and came online, gleaming brightly in the darkness of the hangar.

Moonflight glitched on the spot.

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><p><strong>AN: Short chapter, I know, but I need to get the rest of them written before I leave. Not too many more left...not with Shadowfang and Warrior Star back online. Probably two, MAYBE three...but not sure. I'm going to have to cut one small piece of the story that I wanted to write...maybe I'll throw it in an epilogue or something. I don't know. Anyway! On to review replies!**

**FORD B: Thanks!**

**DJ Meltdown: Yep, the end is near...been a fun ride. :)**

**CatGirlFireflare: *hands a box of tissues* Hopefully there will be no more tears left in this story.**

**Guest: Hi! Welcome to the story! :)**

**Xepher06: Damn, I'm gonna need a serious mop bucket to clean up those tears...and yes, much as I battle with my plot bunnies, they are very good at what they do. :)**

**sweettea1: Oh don't worry, the creepy crawlies are gone for good now. :)**

**KayleeChiara: Yes, writing War Beast and Andante's goodbye was quite hard, but it worked well, I think.**

**To my dear followers, reviewers, favoriters, and readers, thank you guys so much! :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	45. Into The Sun

Warrior Star stood proudly, her optics shuttered as the morning sun gleamed off of her bronze armor. She was powerful, her massive plates of armor whole and strong once more…but something was missing. Her spark felt too small, her frame too big…her processor, too empty. War Beast may have never belonged, but she had become a part of Warrior Star, in her spark, her processor, and even what the humans would call her soul. And she missed her dark sister, with everything she had.

Shadowfang approached, stopping at her shoulder and watching the sky as Warrior Star reached out to him through their bond, leaning on his strength as she silently grieved for her dark sister's loss. Only the steel gray mech could truly understand the bond that she had shared with her darker half, for he had seen the femmes at their best and their worst…up until War Beast had sacrificed it all so that they could escape The Mists and return to the mortal plain.

_She is at peace now, sister. You know this._ Shadowfang reasoned gently, and Warrior Star vented heavily before pressing her cheek plates to his, responding not with words but with pure emotion. The siblings stayed like that for several seconds, until the whisper of air through feathers made them both online their optics and look up.

Moonflight landed gently in front of them, holding his beast form as he studied the femme with bright but sad optics.

"Keystone said that you're leaving. All of you." The Predacon said, shifting from talon to talon uneasily as Warrior Star and Shadowfang studied him.

"Yes, Moonflight. We are. Now that Shadowfang and I are back on our feet and Shockwave is gone…it is time that we move on. Never have we been Autobots, and we never will. We are too different from them." The bronze femme replied softly as Keystone and Swiftpaw walked up on quiet paws to join their siblings. Moonflight stilled at her words, and she knew he was considering asking something at how his optics narrowed, but he never got the chance.

"You're leaving? When?" All those present stiffened at the unexpected voice, and Warrior Star went tense when she recognized it. She turned slowly, meeting the watery gaze of none other than Will Lennox.

Instantly, her spark fell in her chest when she saw the pain in his eyes, and she lowered her head to press her nose to his chest. He threw his arms around her muzzle, hugging her tight as the tears slowly fell down his face. She vented softly, dropping slowly to her stomach and reaching out a massive paw to wrap very gently around him as he hugged her even tighter.

"Soon, Lennox. And I have to go…I have never belonged here. None of us have. We'll find a peaceful place on this planet, and we will stay there, for the sake of all of you. But we will always be ready to fight for you if the Decepticons ever return. You have my word." Warrior Star's voice was muffled against Will's chest, but they all heard her clearly. When he responded, the femme felt her spark squeeze painfully.

"What if I don't want you to go? What if I need you?" The bronze femme couldn't help but smile sadly, and she tapped him lightly to make him look at her. When he did, she stared into his eyes for a long moment before she spoke softly.

"In the end, Will Lennox, it was always I that needed you. Your strength through everything that has happened is nothing less than extraordinary, and your sense of right and wrong, as well as how strongly you stand up for what you believe in, has restored my faith in the universe as a whole. You never needed me, Will. You saved me, and I am eternally grateful for it. I wish you well in whatever endeavors you choose to pursue, my friend. And remember, if you ever need me, I will always be there for you. Always." Taking advantage of the human's shock, she stood and stepped back, Moonflight taking to the sky as Warrior Star and her brothers turned and raced away.

Warrior Star watched as Keystone and Swiftpaw leaped the perimeter fence easily, and as Shadowfang started his approach, she pulled up and slid to a halt, turning to face the distant human as the Autobots watched her and her pack race away in mute astonishment. She felt her spark squeeze in her chest as she zeroed in on Lennox, and she whispered one final thing into the quiet air.

"You were my defender from the darkness, William Lennox. In my memories, you were always there." Turning fluidly on one paw, Warrior Star took two long strides and leaped, clearing the fence gracefully to rejoin her brothers and Moonflight, then they charged away as one, disappearing into the golden light from the rising sun.

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><p><strong>AN: One chapter left, dear readers, the epilogue. Then The Wanderer is done. And I'm sorry about how choppy this chapter is...I didn't want to drag out a lingering goodbye. That and if the Autobots had an inkling that the pack was about to leave, I think there would have been a fun confrontation to try and stop them. Didn't feel like trying to figure THAT out.**

**CatGirlFireflare: You seriously need to lay off the sugar. LOL, glad you aren't throwing anything this time around. XD**

**DJ Meltdown: Thanks! I'll miss this one...I really will.**

**FORD B: I wondered who all would catch that...LMAO**

**sweettea1: I know, right? Seems like only yesterday that I started the re-write...by far, this has been the fastest long story I've ever written. I started the re-write in November, and it will be done tomorrow! Holy crap! LOL**

**Thank you to my readers, followers, reviewers, and favoriters! You are all too kind!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	46. Epilogue

It was a cold, clear night in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The sun had long set, leaving the moon to carve its eternal path through the star-strewn night sky as the world sat in silence far below. Deep in the heart of the Rockies, on a jagged cliff coated with snow, she stood. Massive paws and sharp black claws dug into the snow and rock as her cobalt blue optics scanned endlessly, ever watchful.

High above, the cold mountain air whistled softly as the Predacon mech circled, his dark red optics keen and all-seeing. Both stood on watch, knowing that they weren't alone. It had been peaceful and quiet for too long, and now they both watched as a massive comet streaked through the sky in front of them. It landed with a muffled _boom_ miles away, but they both turned and watched as the smoke rose in the distance.

Three big mechs approached on silent paws to stand with the mighty bronze femme, and they all watched as the smoke slowly faded in the still night air. Then they moved as one, the four wolves on the ground, and the thunderbird in the air. They did not speak, but they did not need to. All that needed to be said had been said before, and they knew it.

_Decepticon._ Keystone's voice was quiet and deep, humming through all their processors as they ran.

_No doubt._ Shadowfang spoke next, his flame red optics gleaming brightly in the darkness.

_Can I run him for a bit?_ Swiftpaw asked, bounding eagerly over every obstacle in his path as he raced shoulder to shoulder with the rest.

_No, brother. We don't play with our kills. We are not Decepticons. We are Guardians. He dies where we find him…if he runs first…we chase, and we kill. Nothing more._ Warrior Star's tone echoed with a finality that none of her brothers questioned, nor would they have if they could have. Her word was law, and they all knew it.

_Yes, sister._ Came the chorus of answers, and she flicked an ear approvingly before she spoke again.

_Good. Now let's find him, and finish this._ And so they raced on.

* * *

><p>The journey had been a long one, and he was tired and sore. His landing…less than spectacular. He limped as he exited his flight pod, casting blazing yellow optics onto the smoking remains before he snorted and turned away.<p>

_Slagging piece of rubbish…should have just ripped the door off and bailed before I hit…_ He thought, limping his way to the top of the nearest rise to study where he had landed.

_Mountains…snow…frag. I'm hurt, it is cold, and this makes it all that much worse. Frag my fragging luck…stupid slagging 'Cons, stupid little backwater planet, stupid…Autobots?_ Confused now, he turned, looking in the direction of where the signals were emanating from, and rapidly approaching once he focused on them.

_No…not Autobots…Guardians. I thought they were all gone…_ Wondering at this turn of events, the mech stepped into the shadows of a nearby bunch of trees, hiding his massive granite and silver frame skillfully just before they appeared.

There were four of them, a massive black mech built for digging and dragging, a lean gold mech that surely had a need for speed, a big steel gray mech with the optics of a hunter, and a…bronze femme? The granite colored mech felt his spark stop.

She was big, tall for a femme but solidly built, a deadly predator second to none. Her wild dark blue optics glowed with a wisdom and knowledge gained by years of pain and hard lessons learned, and he found himself mesmerized as her optics swept the area. And he knew the second she found him, when those optics met his and narrowed dangerously. It was at that moment that Breaksteel knew he was done for.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: What have I done now? Told ya'll I had a few ideas for a sequel...teaser a la plot bunny! Breaksteel is yet ANOTHER OC of mine that I just thought up, and he will play a significant role in the sequel...once I eventually get down to writing it. Got a couple other stories that need attention first though...that and I need some story title help.**

**Anyone interested in giving me an idea for a story name for the sequel to The Wanderer? Feel free to shoot me a PM with your ideas, or you can leave a review with them! You can also go to my deviantART account (same name, Ardikani4) and leave a comment on my Story Titles journal entry. :)**

**Again, my deepest thanks for all those amazing people out there that followed, favorited, read, and reviewed The Wanderer! It was an amazing project, and has been a record breaker for me. It is my most reviewed story, my most popular story, and my longest story by way of chapters. I had such an AWESOME time writing for ya'll, and I hope to be back soon with a kicking sequel that you will all love!**

**All my love, guys!**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


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